


A Bunny CAN Go Savage

by FoxInTheHenHouse



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Family, Friendship/Love, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-09-10 19:02:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 397,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8929243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxInTheHenHouse/pseuds/FoxInTheHenHouse
Summary: What if Nick had never saved those blueberries? What if Bellweather had the real serum? And what if an injured bunny risked it all for her friend? Can their friendship merely survive the strain or will it strengthen them even more? (Rated M for future stuff)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So this is going to be a fun little drama/fluff piece. I am going to be pulling some medical science BS out of my ass in some places here so I'm claiming artistic freedom. So nyah!
> 
> Please, let me know how you are enjoying it.
> 
> Disclaimer: Today I busted into Disney corporate to demand I be given ownership of Zootopia. Do you know how humiliating it is to be tossed out after being beaten up by Goofy and Chip & Dale?

** _Chapter 1 - Aw hell_ **

Nick and Judy sprinted for their lives, running from the crazed sheep and her ram minions. The fox was weighed down by the injured bunny he clutched to his chest, the bunny holding on firmly to the steel case they had salvaged from the ruined subway car mere minutes ago. Moving deftly through the exhibits, Nick emerged into the main atrium once more, pushing his tired body to keep moving for the double doors at the end of the hall. A sudden clack of hooves from ahead had him turning his gaze to the large, horned ram who came up alongside the two mammals. His head down, the ram butted Nick in his side causing him and Judy to fall more than a dozen feet into the wildlife exhibit in the middle of the hall. Dazed and winded, the pair quickly scrambled together for protection. Looking around, Nick thought that if they found the steel case they might be able to use the weapon against Bellweather. His hopes were soon dashed as he heard a sneering voice from above.

"Looking for this, _pelt_?" Nick growled as he watched the sheep pull the deceptively harmless dart gun from the case in her hoof. "You know, this wasn't part of my plan at all." Nick slipped his cell from his rear pocket slowly and, without looking behind him, pawed the 'record' button. He slid it into the fake fern he was resting on. "I was content with letting the random preds attack each other. Maybe a few prey maulings to make it sell better to the masses. But now. Oooh boy. I get to see this for myself. A predator lose control. Kill their friend. Be lost forever in the shame of what they have done. Who knows. Maybe I'll even use the antidote to bring you back to sanity, _fox_. Let you weep over the dead body of your little friend. Maybe see how long it takes for you to hang yourself over the guilt."

Bellweather turned to Judy. "You know. At first I thought we could be friends. I thought I could turn you into an ally. But then I saw you were too much of a goody-goody to ever want to join me. So I did the next best thing. I used you to depose that stupid oaf, Lionhart. Poor fool couldn't even see what was happening under his own nose. And then your failure of that conference speech? You had the city eating out of my hand! At least you were good for something. Too bad that's over now."

"What are you gonna do?" Shouted Judy. "Kill me?"

"No. No no no," laughed Bellweather. "He is." At that moment, the crazy sheep turned the dart gun on Nick and let loose a bluish-purple orb at the stunned Vulpine. He steeled himself for what was about to come, knowing he was going to lose himself to the animalistic rage of his ancestors and murder his friend when a bullet of gray and white sailed in front of him, the Night Howler projectile rupturing and dousing her side with the liquid.

"Oh god… Carrots!" Nick leapt to her side as he watched her face begin to contort. "Why Carrots? Why would you do that?"

"You can...restrain me…dumb fox!" Judy gasped with each word as she fought to keep her sanity. Her logic was sound though, he thought. As a larger predator, she would never have been able to fight against him, not when she was injured. However, a small, injured rabbit could easily be held down by that same predator.

"Well, this is certainly a twist." Amusement in her voice, the sadistic sheep stared down at the pair of mammals in the pit. "I haven't seen what this does to prey. I wonder if she'll pick your bones clean like you would do to her."

Nick went to reply with a few choice words but before he could open his mouth, he felt a strong hind paw catch him in his chest. The impact drove all of the air from his lungs, leaving him horribly winded and unable to get any oxygen. Gasping at the lack of breath, he focused on his attacker. The small gray bunny had begun moving around the enclosure, her movement's limited due to the gash in her leg but she was still formidable. Acting on instinct, she was unmoved by thoughts of morality or decency, unlike Nick who was focused on subduing his friend without causing her any harm. _Easier said than done_ , he thought to himself as he massaged his bruised ribs.

Stalking the rabbit, he cautiously moved behind her and put himself in position to grab her from the side, avoiding the powerful hind legs. Sensing his presence, she turned quickly, launching herself at her target only to find herself sprawled on the ground, her leg stinging fiercely. Unable to put any weight on it, the gray bunny used her one good leg to shove herself off the ground in a strong, low hop. Two quick bounds and she was on top of the predator chasing her, her claws digging into his skin through his shirt, drawing blood. She opened her mouth and bit down hard into his shoulder causing him to yelp as his coppery blood filled the psychotic rabbit's mouth. Knowing that pushing her away would likely mean part of his neck being torn open, he used both his paws to pry open the surprisingly strong jaws of the rabbit at his throat.

Bellweather watched on with glee at the scene below her. It was working out perfectly for her. _Either the rabbit dies and he secures the 'preds are savages' or the fox dies and the 'hero rabbit officer' is seen as tainted and I can use this for a frame job if need be._

She was so distracted she didn't notice the full compliment of ZPD officers now standing behind her. Chief Bogo took one look at the scene below them and the dart gun in the hands of the maniacally laughing mayor and became enraged. "DAWN BELLWEATHER! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!" Bogo's booming voice echoed off every wall causing the mammals in attendance to grab their ears, all except the two currently fighting for survival in the pit. "Take these disgraced fools into custody as well!" He gestured towards the uniformed rams.

Moving to the side of the exhibit, Bogo called down to the pair, serious concern on his face as he saw the fox pinning the rabbit beneath him. "FOX! What the hell do you think you are doing?!"

Nick gasped for air, his energy reserves severely drained. "That sheep…hit her with Night Howler toxin...makes animals go savage. Prey aren't immune obviously," he gestured to the several slashes and bites on his torso, neck, and face. "I have the whole confession on my phone but you gotta get someone down here and tranq her. She's already injured and if she keeps going she's going to get far worse."

Bogo called out for someone to get the necessary ammunition. "Wilde, is it?" Nick nodded. "We're not equipped for rabbit-sized doses of tranquilizer. They're going to get one now, but it will take a few minutes. Can you hold her like that for now?"

Nick narrowly avoided another claw mark to his abdomen as he pinned the bunny down into the dirt. "I can handle it. But I'm almost spent. This has been one crazy ass day." Bogo snorted and nodded at the fox.

Turning back to his officers, he supervised the evidence gathering and the arrests of the mayor and her ram cohorts.

Nick struggled a little to keep his friend in check. Her thrashing was become increasingly erratic as her instincts to survive became overwhelming. "C'mon Carrots, you can fight this. You're the most stubborn, foolhardy mammal I know. If anyone can find a way to beat this it's you." There was several more violent thrashes. He felt a sharp pain in his paw as she bit him, drawing even more blood. "Alright, that does it Carrots. I'm not your damn chew toy. This is gonna suck but at least it should stop you until they can put you out." Leaning forward, he encircled his arms completely around her torso, locking her arms to her chest. He moved his legs and wrapped his knees around hers preventing her from moving them as well. Laying down across her back, he pressed her head into the dirt floor trapping her from being able to turn and bite her.

_Well. This isn't awkward at all._ Nick imagined they looked quite the spectacle from above the enclosure. _I don't recall ever being this literally close to someone and now it's a 'savage' bunny of all mammals._ He chuckled to himself at the audacity of the day he was having. _Too bad you aren't here to laugh with me, Fluff. I'll have to remember to tell you all about I-…Wait. What the hell?_ Nick suddenly realized there was some movement happening from his captive. And it was not from a place that he would normally associate as dangerous, but now may be the most dangerous of all.

Glancing down as best as he could, he noticed the feral eyes of the bunny beneath him were glazed over. Her nose was twitching as her open mouth panted rapidly. He closed his eyes trying to forget what was currently happening but he couldn't. Her tail was flicking against him, sending nervous shivers up his spine. Her waist was wiggling across his thighs, her hips rolling backward, pressing against him. "Oh jeez, Carrots. I knew the serum is supposed to make you go crazy, but not this kinda crazy. Do you have any control over this at all?" In answer he felt her hips buck against him, nearly causing him to lose his grip. _Son of a bitch._

"Hey Buffalo Butt," Nick called to the mammal at the top of the pit. The Cape Buffalo glared down at him.

"What do you want, Wilde? We're still a few minutes out from the tranquilizer. Is Hopps okay?"

"You need to clear everyone out right now, except yourself. I'll explain as soon as it happens," he said quickly as Bogo raised his hoof to speak.

Bogo snorted before ordering everyone to clear the building. The strangeness of the order was not lost on anyone and several attempted to peer into the pit only to be caught by Bogo's stern glare. As soon as everyone was out, he turned back to the, now distressed, fox. "What the hell is going on Wilde?!"

"Well O' Mighty Chieftain, it's like this. Originally Carrots was aggressive and attacking me, trying to rip out my throat. Now for some reason she's _aggressive_ and attacking me in an entirely _different_ manner."

Bogo took a second to process this as he took a closer look at the situation his rookie cop was in. His eyes widened as he saw the bunny frantically throwing herself back into the fox. "Are you trying to take advantage of her?!" He bellowed.

A look of rage flashed across the fox's face as he glared back at Bogo. "You dirty, rotten, son of a bitch! Carrots is my best friend. I would _NEVER_ hurt her like this. I'm only keeping her pinned because I'm worried what will happen if I let her go! She's not herself, obviously. I wanted the rest of the officers to leave so that she wouldn't be a joke around the precinct after she worked so hard to earn their respect! This could destroy everything she's worked for!" The sincerity of his outburst reassured Bogo that he was not trying to harm her but during his ranting he hadn't noticed his grasp slip slightly on the rabbit. With one mighty push of her hindpaw she was free.

Nick's astonishment turned to trepidation as he saw his friend turn directly towards him, her eyes still feral. Her movements were no longer erratic and dangerous, but slow and methodical. As if a part of her savage mind knew exactly what she wanted. She crept slowly towards the fox who was frantically crawling backwards as far away from the bunny stalking him now, the only thought going through his mind was the concern of what would happen when she caught him. Based on her earlier actions, he was scared out of his mind.

With one large leap, Judy launched herself onto his chest. Nick was paralyzed as his brain just shut down. He eyed her with worry, both for her and himself. Judy stretched her paws and kneaded his shirt. He looked down at the holes she was making. "Dammit Carrots, these are silk." She snagged her claws into his shirt and tore the front open. Curling up against his bare chest, she buried her nose into his neck and breathed deeply before falling asleep.

Nick froze as he looked up at a similarly bewildered Chief Bogo. A single thought flashed across both of their faces. _What the hell just happened?_

* * *

 

_**Chapter 2: Scent-sational** _

_I'm stuck beneath a sleeping, savage rabbit who an hour ago was my happy-go-lucky friend who was only interested in solving a big case and saving Zootopia and now is only interested in my fur apparently._ Nick Wilde had been exposed to many strange things in his life. A lot of them during the chaotic 48 hours he had spent with the little bunny cop. But nothing he had ever seen could explain what the hell was going on right now.

"Ahem." Nick looked up to see the confused scowl of the cape buffalo above him. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Wilde. But don't savage animals usually attack anyone nearby? I mean, Hopps was attacking you just a few minutes ago."

"Am I a scientist? No, no I am not. This is only my third day as a P.I., Buffalo Bill. I have less answers than you do. And I don't know anything about bunnies besides what I learned from Carrots, here." Nick attempted to lift the sleeping bunny from his chest only for her to dig her claws in deeper. _Okay. Okay. Mr. Fox stays. Got it._ He was lost as to what to do now. "So. Bogo. Know any good jokes? I got one. What do you call a three hu-"

"Can it, Wilde! The ambulance will be here soon to take you both to the hospital." A wolf approached him from the side with a tranq gun in hand. "Thank you, Wolford. Okay Mr. Wilde, I'm gonna knock her out so you can get her up to us when the ambulance pulls up."

"Oh do we have to? I'm enjoying the whole 'not moving' thing with my back up against a bunch of fake rocks. It's doing wonders for my spine."

Chief Bogo rolled his eyes at the fox's ceaseless sarcasm. He took aim at the rabbit on his chest and let the dart fly. The bunny felt the impact of the dart hit her rear hindquarter, causing her to leap upward and snarl viciously before rubbing her nose into Nick's fur and settling down again against his chest. Relieved she was finally asleep, Nick picked her up an lowered her to the floor to stand up. Stretching his legs, he moved to grab the phone with the recorded confession on it a few dozen feet away. Before he had made it halfway across the exhibit, he heard a strangled cry from Judy. Whipping around he saw her thrashing around, her mouth open and panting. She let out a high-pitched cry as if she were in tremendous pain even though she was still asleep. Nick froze before running over to his friend, completely baffled at how to help her but knowing he had to try _something_.

His fear dissipated as he picked her up and she quieted immediately, rubbing her face against him. Once more he looked up at Bogo who was standing, speechless, on the ledge above. The charcoal wolf officer next to him seemed stunned as well. _What the hell is going on?_ Hearing the ambulance arrive, Nick visibly began to calm down, knowing help for his friend was moments away, but inside he was freaking out.

Two EMT's burst into the hall with a bunny-sized stretcher easily carried between them. "We were told a rabbit was injured. Where's the savage animal?" a male antelope asked. Chief Bogo pointed down into the enclosure. They looked in and saw the fox holding the motionless rabbit. "There's a savage fox with the rabbit in his paws and you haven't shot him yet?!" He scrambled for the tranquilizer in Bogo's hand only to be shoved back, _hard_.

"Mr. Wilde wasn't the one who went savage. Ms. Hopps, the rabbit, was." He glared at the EMT who had fallen to his knee from the force of the push.

"A…a rabbit? But only predators are turning savage! It's their DNA, right?" The antelope nervously glanced at his ocelot partner who stood there glaring, his tail flicking angrily.

The Chief sighed. "It turns out that Mayor Bellweather was using a flower called a 'Nighthowler' to produce a serum that would make _any_ mammal turn savage."

"...Oh. Well. Let's um, let's get on with it then." The two EMT's set up the stretcher, the antelope purposefully avoiding the gaze of his fellow co-worker's heated glare, while Bogo lowered a ladder down for them to climb into the enclosure. Upon reaching the ground, the two medical personnel made sure Judy was safe and checked her over for injuries. They bandaged her bleeding leg that had been cut open on the mammoth tusk during their run through the museum. She had some blood on her claws and mouth but was quickly assured by Nick that the blood was his, showing the scratches and bite marks to prove it.

"I took extra caution to make sure was never hurt while I restrained her." Nick inwardly shuddered at the thought of causing her harm.

Watching them take Judy up the ladder on the stretcher, he let out a hopeful sigh. _She's gonna get better now. Maybe we should catch a movie when she gets out of the hospital._

_Like a date?_

_What? No, not like a date. A friggin movie._

_Dude, you want to date a_ rabbit _. That's all kinds of fucked up._

_Talking to myself is what's fucked up._

During his inner dialogue, the EMT's had reached the hallway of the museum and were moving the tranq'd bunny out towards the ambulance when the unconscious bunny started thrashing and crying out in pain. The two med techs were stupefied. Under a tranquilizer, no mammal should be able to move, let alone cry or feel pain. "Can't you give her something?" Bogo shouted at the frightened techs.

"We can't give her anything without risking serious harm to her!" The clinicians looked at each other, unable to think of any solutions to help their patient.

"HEY!" Reaching the top of the ladder, Nick's voice was harsh as he yelled at the useless animals. "What the hell did you do to Carrots?!" As he got closer, Bogo put out his hoof to stop him.

"Leave it Wilde. They know what they're doing."

"Oh really? Then why did I hear them say they can't _do_ anything to help her?"

"Wilde," Bogo growled. "You aren't helping anyone by being a little prick. Head to the hospital. You can check on her tomorrow."

Nick felt his temper rising. "Fuck you, Buffalo butt! That's my friend over there! Now how come a 'lowly, dirty, no-good _fox_ ' can keep her calm but two trained techs are baffled at how to do their goddamn jobs?" Ducking under the massive arm of the Chief he got several steps towards his friend before he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt and lifted off the ground.

Bogo snorted into Nick's face, his own temper at the breaking point. "You are testing my patience, _fox_!"

Nick opened his mouth to spout another rant at the asshole in front of him when one of the EMT's noticed something. "Shut it, both of you."They looked over at the bunny who had ceased her cries and was desperately sniffing the air.

"What is she doing?" Bogo's question was directed at no one in particular but the ocelot chose to answer.

"It looks like she is seeking a particular scent." He glanced at the fox. "You said she was calm near you, yes?" Nick nodded. "Let him down. Come over here Mr… Wilde was it?" Nick nodded again. "Mr. Wilde." Bogo slowly let the fox down, his own curiosity outweighing his current hatred of the mammal.

Nick walked steadily towards the stretcher, the ocelot eagerly encouraging him. Every step that he got closer to the bunny, Judy would visibly calm down a little more. Once he was standing next to her, she reached out and grasped his paw, drawing it in for her to sniff the scent before calming back to a deep rest. "What the hell was that?" Nick asked the paramedic, the phrase quickly becoming his most used for the week.

"I have no idea, " the ocelot said while grinning. "But I'm pretty sure you're gonna have to ride in the bus with us."

* * *

A shrill ringing sound caused the older doe to jump at the sudden noise. Leaving her husband to continue filling the customer's order, she sidestepped away from the carrot stand and pulled the phone from her pocket hoping it was from her daughter, Judy. Seeing an unknown number she frowned slightly before answering. "Hello? Yes this is she...Yes, that's my daughter...SHE WHAT?!" Slamming the phone down onto the counter, she raced over to her husband. "Judy's been hurt! We need to get to Zootopia NOW!"

Stu started hopping frantically trying to think of how to get there. "Bon, she took our truck! And the train doesn't come for another couple hours. What are we going to do?"

Bonnie wrang her paws together before she thought of something. "The Higgins! They just bought that new car! We can borrow it from them!"

Stu winced at the idea of asking John Higgins for a favor. The younger buck wasn't a very nice individual, especially not to Stu and his boys. "He's probably not going to let us borrow it. What do we do if he says no?"

The old doe grabbed his ear and yanked him to her. "Then I'm _taking_ it," she growled.

Ten minutes later, Stu found himself holding on for dear life as Bonnie sped the 500HP convertible up the road leading away from Bunnyburrow. _Hold on, my baby girl. Momma's comin'._

* * *

 

**_Chapter 3 - Privacy? Mammal, please._ **

Nick looked around at the hospital room he was currently stuck in. _Why are the walls always white? A little olive green, few yellows, it would really make this place easier to deal with._ He always hated hospitals. Hospitals meant something was wrong with you. Something wrong with you meant they were going to fix you. Fixing meant charging and charging meant you lost your ass if you weren't insured, which he never was. He had long ago swore off hospitals and their lumpy, uncomfortable beds with their bad cafeteria food. As he sat in the hospital in his lumpy, uncomfortable bed eating his bad cafeteria food he looked over at the second bed directly beside him where a small gray bunny rested peacefully, her paws handcuffed to the bed rails. She was still under the effects of the night howler serum, although the hospital scientists did say they were close to a cure as Doug, the unfriendly ram, had explained how he formulated one in exchange for a lighter prison sentence. However, unlike the other savage animals, Judy was still asleep long after the tranquilizer should have worn off, her savagery only shown during a few growls while turning in her bed and the occasional claw marks she would leave on her sheets.

For unknown reasons, she still required Nick to be present within a very short range. They determined he couldn't move more than 20 feet away or she would start to panic, even while asleep. Luckily that was within range of the bathroom so he could still make frequent use of it as the saline drip was still in place. He was unable to close the door however, as the same problem would occur. "I swear you're faking all of this just so you can get a good look at my tail, Carrots," he chuckled as he came back from the last trip to the facilities. Judy simply rolled a little in her sleep, mumbling chitters and growls. "You look so damned cute like that, Fluff. And since you can't even hear me, I can say 'cute' all I want without fear of being hit. Haha! Cute cute cute, you are still so damn cu-OW!" Nick looked around wildly until his gaze fell upon an old doe glaring at him from behind her spectacles.

She brandished a clipboard at him as she poked him again with the pen she held in her paw. "Don't let me hear you call that poor girl 'cute' again. Got it Mr. Wilde?"

Nick swallowed hard. "Got it, doc." _What is it with female bunnies and their desire to beat me up all the time?_ "So what's the diagnosis? Am I free to go?"

"Well, your scratches are mild. They will heal on their own but you should change the dressing twice a day. The bite marks are more severe. The lacerations went pretty deep as rabbits tend to have quite large front chompers. The one on your hand and one of them on your neck were stitched up so you should be fine in a week or two. Your ribs were bruised but no fractures so I'm writing you a prescription for some light pain medication. Other than that, you came out fairly unscathed."

"Great! So I'm good to go?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh heavens no." Nick raised an eyebrow at that. "Mr. Wilde, for some reason that young doe over there has formed an attachment to you that requires you to be near her at all times or she becomes increasingly agitated to the point her heartbeat starts fluctuating rapidly. Without your constant presence, she may very well go into cardiac arrest."

"Are you freaking kidding me? I'm stuck here in this room until a bunch of nerds in lab coats can make the antidote? Do you know how long that could take? I might be stuck here for days! Weeks even!" He raked his claws down the sides of his face. He flashed a smirk her way. "I have things to do, doc. I can't sit here all day."

"And are your errands' worth risking this bunny's life?!" The doctor was nearly beside herself with anger.

The smirk was gone in an instant, replaced with somber sincerity. "I could never risk anything happening to her, doc. She's my best friend. She's saved my life several times over. She also knows that sarcasm and bad jokes are just part of who I am. She'd probably be very concerned if she heard us talking like this."

The doctor made a quick note on her clipboard. "Well then, this will be our little secret, Mr. Wilde. Now, it's been a very hectic day for you two and I want you to get some rest. Hopefully they'll have the Night Howler cure ready tomorrow and we can get Ms. Hopps back on her feet and we'll see if that doesn't solve this little 'space' problem."

Nick chuckled. "Alright. 'Doctor's orders' and all that." The doctor simply smiled as she left, dimming the lights. Looking over at his friend, he felt a pang at what she must be going through. "G'night Carrots. Tomorrow's another day, right? Can't be as crazy as this one" Laying back, Nick closed his eyes, the smirk disappearing from his face as he thought about the day's events. Whispering softly, Nick looked over at Judy, "I'm sorry, Carrots. For whatever I did to you, I'm sorry." He felt his eyes mist up as he let a single tear roll down his cheek. _Stupid, dumb fox._

* * *

A bright light flashed overhead, piercing the eyelids of the sleeping fox. Yelping in pain, he covered his eyes with his paw before a voice cried out. "I'm so sorry! I forgot about foxes and their eyes. Here," the lights dimmed immediately. "Is that better?" Nick nodded as he fumbled blindly towards his bedside table. Finding his sunglasses, he slipped them on feeling the relief instantly. Still groaning a bit, he forced himself into a sitting position before opening his eyes, seeing the antelope nurse staring at him, concerned for her charge.

"Don't worry abut it. It's not like it's never happened b-" Nick cut off as he tried to wave is arm in a vague gesture only to find it being held back. Glancing over, he saw his paw intertwined with Judy's smaller one, her face nuzzled right up to it softly smiling. At some point during the night, he had either reached across to her while he slept or she had reached out and dragged his arm to her, her paws no longer cuffed. While he was slightly embarrassed in front of the nurse, inwardly he felt a bit happier.

"There's been a lot going on here about you and that bunny," The nurse said, her grin subtle but still noticeable. Nick raised an eyebrow in her direction causing her to quickly raise her hooves. "No no, nothing like that. That woul- sorry, I shouldn't make judgments. Anyway, it's been all over the news that you foiled the mayor's, well _second_ mayor's as well, plot about predator animals going savage. But what really has us all talking is the odd attachment you two seem to have developed. We've never seen anything like it." She trailed off as the fox continued to stare at her, making her feel a bit awkward.

"How is she? Did they develop an antidote yet?"

"Oh yes," the nurse hastily replied, thankful for the change in topic. "They gave it to her a couple hours ago. She should be waking up within the next hour or so if the other patients are any indication."

"That's good. Hoping this will get us unattached from the hip. She probably is going to want to be back on duty as soon as possible and that isn't going to work very well if she can't move more than 20 feet away from me."

"Well, I'll leave you two alone. When she wakes up, please push the call button. We need to run some tests before we can clear her parents to come up and see her."

"Her parents are here?" He became a bit guarded after hearing from Judy that it was them who gave her the fox repellent. They obviously had no great love for foxes. "Why did they not visit her already?"

"Chief Bogo's orders as well as the hospital's. Savage animals are granted no visitations due to their violent tendencies." He raised the arm currently attached to the sleeping bunny, shooting her a questioning look. "Oh you two are a special exception. We can't separate you due to whatever has happened. She goes into full on panic and since she is unconscious we can't question her in order to treat her."

_Oh boy_ , he thought bitterly. _Her fox hating parents are going to find out that a fox had gotten to spend the entire night with their daughter when they, as her parents, were barred from seeing her. This is going to go spectacularly._

The nurse seemed to understand what must be going on through his head as she quickly spoke up. "Don't worry. We'll have a doctor here when they come in so there won't be any problems." His relief was evident although he was still a bit apprehensive.

"Alright, I'll put my trust in the hospital that I won't be tazed by an overprotective rabbit dad." The antelope laughed as she left the room. He could still hear her as she walked down the hallway until the door swung closed. Turning back to his friend, he picked up the remote and clicked on the news. "Alright Carrots, let's see what the news is saying about us."

'Us' had been a broad statement as they mentioned Judy numerous times, citing her as exposing the new mayor's plot to harm the city's predator population by using toxic flowers to cause them to go savage. Nick, for his part, was mentioned only once as an 'unnamed local fox' that 'assisted Officer Hopps' in her daring plan. That was just fine with him He was never one for glory and fame. That usually got him in trouble for others to know his name or where to find him. And with no mention of Judy being turned savage or any leak from the hospital about their problematic 'attachment' issues he felt quite a bit happier.

"I can't believe they didn't mention you," a soft voice said from beside him. He whipped around to see the gray bunny rubbing her eyes and sitting up. "I mean you were with me the whole time, and during the last case too"

"CARROTS!" Nick scrambled over to her bed, hugging her tightly. "Thank god you're awake."

Judy sat stunned for a minute before giggling meekly. "Jeez Nick. You foxes, so emotional." Nick started chuckling before he let her go and sat back. "Where are we?"

"Hospital. We were taken here after the, um, pit incident." He eyed her warily to see if she would remember anything from the day before.

"Pit incident?" Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall what had happened. "We got the evidence. Then I remember I got hurt,"Looking down at her bandaged shin, she knew that part was right. "Then we got, yes, that's right, we got knocked into that exhibit. And then…" Her eyes grew wide. "The serum! I was hit! Did I d-" she looked over at Nick and saw the multiple bandages on his hands and chest, including a large one on his neck. "Oh Nick! I'm _so_ sorry!" Her eyes started welling up before she let out a sob and turned away from him.

He climbed behind her and gave her a hug. "Carrots, don't worry about it. It was the best way to handle it. I was able to restrain you without being injured that badly. If it had been me, you would be dead, and I would never have forgiven myself for that." He stroked her ears hanging down her back, rocking her slowly trying to calm her down. After a few minutes, her sobs had stopped and she was leaning into the rocking motion, comforted by the scent of him which she couldn't fully explain.

"Right, um," she broke the trance, both of them appearing a bit embarrassed by what had happened. "I uh, I need to wash up so I'll just, uh, go over there." Getting up she headed for the bathroom.

Nick watched her go, his mind still affected by what had just happened when he realized where she was going. "Carrots! You can't close the door!"

Judy looked back at him, her blank face suddenly developing a scowl. "I'm not going to stand here so you can sneak a peek at my backside, Nicholas Wilde!" She started to close the door.

"No Carrots, you don't understand!" He scrambled to get out of bed as the door closed shut. Running for the door, he heard a small gasp of pain followed by the sound of something crashing to the floor. Halfway across the room, the door burst open and Judy ran out clutching her chest. Nick fell to his knees and hugged her tightly. The small bunny was trembling as she shoved her face into his neck. Her body instinctively breathed in, the scent of the fox permeating her whole body as she felt the pain fade and disappear.

They stood there for a few minutes as she calmed down, her shaking quieting before stopping altogether. "What the hell just happened?" Judy stared at him, her eyes begging him for an explanation.

Nick sat her down in his lap stroking her ears as she continued to sniff him, letting the scent calm her as he told her everything that had happened after she was hit by the Night Howlers. How he had needed to restrain her (although he was unable to meet her questioning gaze at this), to the times when he had moved too far away from him and she went into panic mode, to their long overnight stay. "They still don't know what is going on with us. Apparently we're the talk of the hospital." Judy blushed at that, the insides of her ears turning pink. Nick slapped himself in the head. "I totally forgot. I was supposed to ring the nurse when you woke up. Here, let's get you back on your bed."

Judy let him scoop her up and place her back on the bed. She felt a small sense of panic form as he let her go until he climbed up on his bed next to her and reach out his paw. He could see how much being apart distressed her so he was willing to live with the limited mobility for now as long as it helped her. As he called the nurse, she gripped his arm tighter at the foolish thought he would be taken away. Her apprehension increased for reasons she couldn't understand when the antelope nurse entered the room. "Oh good," she said cheerfully. "We've been hoping you would wake up soon. I just need to get some tests done." She pulled a pen light and shined it in Judy's eyes. "Follow my hoof. Okay good. Any spots? Blurred vision?" Judy shook her head. "And can you tell me your name?"

"Judy Hopps."

"Ok good. And can you tell me where you are?"

"I'm in a hospital."

"Yes you are. Savannah Central Hospital in fact. Now, do you know who the mayor is?"

Judy's face grew red as she shook with rage. "It better not be that backstabbing ewe after all we went through yesterday!" Her paws clenched tightly.

The nurse threw her head back and laughed. "I think it's safe to say you're doing just fine." Chuckling she marked down the results as she took her blood pressure. "Everything seems good so I'll let the doctor know and we'll let your parents come up. Your Chief is also here to talk to you, so you'll be having a busy morning. Now, Mr. Wilde, any change on the, um, 'issue' you two have been experiencing?"

"I already told her about it, and no, no change."

The nurse's face fell slightly before she smiled again. "No matter. We'll figure it out. I'll let her know." She left, leaving the two mammals alone.

"My parents are here? Well, can't really expect them to not be. They're always so concerned with my safety here." She smiled grimly. "Guess they were right this time."

"Don't worry, Carrots. The Doctor will explain and so will Chief Buffalo Butt. You saved the city. They'll be so proud of you."

Sniffling, Judy crawled over to his bed and laid her head on his chest. "I don't know why, but this helps me so much." Nick stroked her ears again, wanting only to keep his friend safe, even if it was from herself.

Hearing the door swing open, they glanced at it expecting to see the doctor only to see instead two middle-aged brown rabbits. The doe was surprised and slightly embarrassed at the display in front of her. The buck stared at the pair impassively. The couple on the bed broke apart as Judy went back to her bed.

Finding her voice, the older doe cleared her throat. "Um, Judy. Who's your friend?" she asked, a bit confused.

Nick let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. _Well, that could've gone worse. Maybe this won't turn out as bad as I thought._ That is until he turned his gaze back to what must be Judy's father and saw him slowly slip his hand into the bag he was holding, his paw tightening on something. _Aw crap._

* * *

**_Chapter 4 - The bonds we make we cannot break... without dire consequences..._ **

The movement Stu had made did not go unnoticed by the trained cop eyes of his daughter. "Dad..." Judy started. "You better pull your paw out slowly from that bag and set down whatever you are holding in there."

Bonnie had not been watching her husband, her gaze instead drawn toward the fox who had only a few seconds ago been holding his arms around her daughter. At Judy's words however she glanced over at her husband and saw him pulling a pink can of fox repellent out of the bag. Bonnie gasped and she hit him on the arm with her purse. "Stu!"

"I'm just being cautious," muttered the embarrassed buck.

Judy rolled her eyes as she turned and gave Nick a reassuring smile, letting him know that no one was going to be attacking him. "While it's pretty sad for me to admit this, I'm proud of you that you at least didn't bring the tazer." Nick's ears flattened at this as he became even more worried. Stu mumbled something incoherently. "What was that, dad?"

"Security…they uh, they took the tazer." Stu looked at the ground, humiliated by his own actions.

"And a good thing, too, Mr. Hopps. Assault on any citizen in my city will not be tolerated, no matter _who_ your daughter is. Not to mention Mr. Wilde saved your daughter's life several times yesterday." Behind the two small bunnies towered a gigantic cape buffalo in police blues and a gold badge on his massive chest.

"Chief Bogo, sir!" Judy jumped to salute but quickly fell back down as her leg failed to support her weight. Bonnie and Stu hurried forward, their faces fearful as they saw their daughter's bandaged leg give way. Bonnie fussed over her, saying soothing words as she ran her paws over her bandage. Bonnie was not a nurse but after having to treat all 275 of her children for cuts and scrapes she could probably pass the exam. Stu for his part just stood there bouncing on his toes looking worried.

Bogo walked into the room and held up his hoof. "Easy Hopps. We don't need you injuring yourself further. The doctor said you should be back in form in two or three weeks and I expect to see you back on duty then."

Judy looked shocked. "But sir… I resigned. I mean my police career ended, didn't it?"

"Actually Hopps, you were undercover. Remember? The day you 'turned in' your badge was the day your undercover mission started to dig in deeper trying to find the source of the savage attacks." He held up his hoof and tossed something at her. Something that glinted in the sunlight. Judy ran her paw over the gold badge in her paw. _Her_ badge. The one she never thought she would see again. "Now this doesn't leave this room, Hopps, but having an officer 'undercover' and foiling Bellweather's scheme is a lot easier to defend in court than an ex-officer taking the law into their own paws and recruiting a conman for help. No offense Wilde."

Nick had a smug look on his face. "None taken."

Bogo snorted at the red fox. "Like I said before, Hopps. The city needs good cops like you. So welcome back, officer."

Judy beamed as she looked at Nick who was equally as happy for her. "Congrats, Carrots." Bonnie and Stu exchanged a look, mouthing 'Carrots?' Nick scratched his chin, thinking. "So does helping you mean I get a pass the next time I get caught buying a jumbo pop?" At this all 3 mammals in the room were confused.

"Not a chance, Slick," laughed Judy. "But you know," she pulled a crumpled yellow form from her jeans laying over the chair. "You could always join me. What do you say?" She was nervous as this wasn't the setting she had in mind for bringing up this idea again.

Nick looked down at the ZPD application form he had filled out. "Carrots…This was 3 _months_ ago. You've been holding onto it this entire time?" Judy blushed, her ears turning a bit pink. Nick couldn't keep the smirk off his face. "Well well well. Looks like Fluff has a soft spot for hopeless cases like myself." Judy had turned crimson as her blush deepened. Bonnie and Stu noticed this with raised brows. "Well Carrots, if it means that much to you I suppose I can join up and be your foxy partner." The wink he sent her threatened to make her face look like a tomato as she felt her blush spread across her body. She opened her mouth to tell him to stop but found she really didn't want him to and so she closed it again.

Stu looked like he was getting ready to have a stroke and began to open his mouth only for the doctor to enter the room. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Hopps, I'm Doctor Bales. And good to see you're finally awake, Ms Hopps." She turned to the buffalo. "Chief Bogo, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave. I will make sure you get a full report on our discussion as it pertains to Ms Hopps' ability to come back to work." Bogo nodded and left the room.

"Now, Miss Hopps, can I call you Judy?" Judy nodded. "Wonderful. Now Judy-" Doctor Bales was cut off as Stu spoke up.

"Wait a minute doc. Why is that fox still here?"

"Stu!" Bonnie gasped.

"DAD!" Judy shouted angrily.

For his part, Nick lost none of his cool, laid back attitude as he surveyed the pissed off rabbit. The smirk was getting to Stu as he felt his temper rising. "This is a family matter and this _fox_ ," he spat with venom, "is not part of this family." At this, Nick felt himself lose a bit of his self-control.

"Alright, _daddy dearest_ , you wanna know _why_ I can't leave? Huh? You want to see what happens?" He started stalking towards the door.

"No!" Judy's cry brought him up short. "Please Nick, I can't take it. It hurts too much." She started to sob quietly, the very memory of the experience overwhelming her, her breathing ragged. Nick was at her side in a flash.

"Carrots, I am so sorry." He stroked her ears as he felt her bury her nose in his neck, breathing his scent in deeply. "I wasn't thinking. I would never hurt you. Please forgive me." Judy's body quieted down almost immediately as she let his scent calm her.

"Dumb fox."

"Sly bunny."

Stu had been staring at the two during this whole exchange, completely and utterly confused. His other half, Bonnie, had instead focused on the name her daughter had called the red fox. 'Nick' she mouthed, repeatedly. A sudden realization hit and she jumped up and down in excitement. "This is _that_ Nick, Judy?" Judy blushed before nodding. Bonnie finally had a face to the name her daughter had been mentioning during her miserable stay at the burrow. "Well, you never mentioned how _orange_ your friend was but at least we get to meet the mysterious Nick."

Nick looked over at Judy who was currently hiding behind her ears. "You told your mom about me?" Grinning widely he turned to the older doe, "Whatever she said it's all lies and slande-OW!" he rubbed his, now bruised, arm as he glared at Judy who had once again disappeared behind her ears. Bonnie giggled at the exchange, her daughter's emotional state the last few weeks now made quite clear.

"Ahem." The four mammals turned to look at the old doe doctor. "If you are all quite done we have several things we need to discuss." They all mumbled an apology under the angry glare of the doctor. "Now then. Mr. Hopps, if you cannot control yourself I will have to ask you to leave. There will be no speciesm in this hospital and I will not tolerate your prejudices." The doe turned to Nick. "Mr. Wilde, if you try to pull stunt like that again, I will personally strap you to that bed and let the tech interns practice drawing blood on you. And Judy, if you stand on that leg again I will make you take at least a month off from work. Do I make myself clear?" A sharp 'Yes!' came from all parties.

"Good. Now, what I am about to explain to you may be hard to grasp so we'll hold off on questions until after. At some point during her most recent case, Judy experienced massive mental trauma when she was turned savage due to Night Howler toxin." At this her parents charged in, their voices echoing off the walls. The old doe glared at them causing them to close their mouths and take a step back. They obviously had not yet been made aware of her being infected. "Prey appear to react the same way that predators do when exposed, but since Judy is a bunny, something unexpected occurred." She eyed the parents waiting to see if they would jump in again. "Whatever happened it caused Judy to focus her emotional state onto Nick, more specifically his scent. They are unable to be apart farther than his scent can travel to her enough to keep her stable. Once the scent is cut off, her body starts to panic and will eventually cause cardiac arrest." Stu and Bonnie were horrified.

The doctor was about to continue when Stu interrupted. "How do we fix this?"

"It can't be 'fixed,' Mr. Hopps."

"You're saying my daughter has to chained to this f- ummm, this mammal for the rest of her life?"

"What I'm _saying_ Mr. Hopps, is for me to _finish_ with my report." Stu looked sheepish as he backed up a few feet. "Now. Has anyone heard of 'Scent bonding'?" Judy and Stu shook their heads, Nick along with them. Bonnie however clapped a paw to her mouth. "One out of four," the doctor noted. "I'm not really surprised. It's an extremely rare bunny condition. It's only happened three times in the last hundred years, four times now with you, Judy. Scent bonding happens during a period of severe emotional distress. In this case, during your night howler exposure. Mr. Wilde, at any point during your time restraining Miss Hopps did you have to become dominant?"

"Dominant? I don't unders-…" Nick trailed off as he remembered having to curl over her body to restrain her, effectively immobilizing her, with her face pressed into the ground. _Almost as if I were mounting her. And those hip wiggles from her…well that makes more sense now._ He looked over in horror at Judy. "Oh god, Carrots. I'm so sorry. I did this to you."

Judy smiled sadly. "It's okay, Nick. I forgive you."

"Actually you should be thanking him, Miss Hopps." Their shocked faces made the doctor sigh. "Your mind became so overwhelmed that your body compensated by attaching itself to someone that you trusted completely, allowing their strength to aid in yours. Without Mr. Wilde being there, you would most likely have gone insane."

Wait," Nick raised a paw. "Trusted _completely_?" He shot a look at Judy who blushed and turned away.

"Oh yes," the old doe replied. "For this to have happened it would have required the patient, in this case Judy, to have a very strong emotional attachment to you already, whether that be in the form of trust, affection, love, any of those would work. I'll leave Miss Hopps to decide on which." Judy's blush became even deeper while her mother looked on, a worried expression on her face. Scent bonds were extremely rare but also extremely serious.

"Doctor," Bonnie had moved closer to the bed and was laying a paw on her daughter's shoulder. "Is scent bonding the same as marking?" Both Nick and Judy swung their heads around to look at her, their jaws hanging slightly open.

"No, not at all." The fox and bunny looked relieved although Judy also looked a little disappointed. "While two of the cases did end up with the bonded pairs becoming couples, the third did not and both of them ended up married and having a family, just close by so the bonded one could still be taken care of."

Judy spoke up next. "Doctor, how will I be able to work as a police officer? I can't stay pawcuffed to Nick at all times and still do my job."

"Luckily dear, it only requires his scent to minimize your condition. If he, for instance, scented a shirt you were wearing, you could walk around without him nearby as long as it didn't fade. You would only need to be near him a few times a day to get the scent and then you would be free to move about as you wish." Judy looked a bit happier as did Nick. They liked each other and hanging out was great, but they both appreciated their freedom. "Now, close proximity and especially physical contact will be far more effective so I would suggest a little time of each happen each day. Now, I'd like to speak to my patients alone, Mr. And Mrs. Hopps. You are welcome to come back tomorrow for visiting hours then."

"Bye hon." Bonnie kissed her cheek.

"By Jude," said her father, with a wary glance shot at Nick. The two older rabbits left while mumbling to each other.

The doctor turned back to the pair on the beds. "Now, I wanted to mention this part to you two alone as I doubt very much your parents could handle it well, Judy. The eventual problem with scent bonding is that it is progressive." She looked at her charges carefully before sighing. "To sum it up, basically scent stops working and physical interaction is required. _Strenuous_ physical interaction." With that the doctor turned and left.

Nick and Judy watched the door close. They sat very still for what seemed like days before they simultaneously looked at each other. "Well g'night," they both cried, turning their backs on each other and trying to fall asleep as fast as possible.

* * *

**_Chapter 5 - Admiring the view_ **

The next morning was awkward to say the least. Whereas the previous day the two mammals were perfectly fine being next to each other the whole day, teasing each other, comforting one another, now the reality of their situation was truly setting in.

_I'm tied to him, to Nick, for my entire life._

_Isn't that what you wanted anyways?_

_Well, not really. I mean yeah I've been having feelings for him and all but a lifelong deal, that's way more than I had been thinking about._

_It's not like you have a choice now. You either live with it, or you die. That's the reality._

_It's a stupid reality._

_That's why it's called reality._

Judy got herself changed in the bathroom while Nick stood in the window alcove. It was close enough that Nick's scent was still distinguishable but they wouldn't be able to look at each other as they changed. It seemed silly considering their current situation but they hadn't fully discussed how they were going to proceed with this new change in their relationship.

Nick was currently mulling over that himself. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. He certainly felt guilty as he blamed himself for what had happened to her, but what about any other feelings? _She's my friend, I know that much._

_But is she more? Is she more to you than just a friend?_

_I don't know. It doesn't feel like it._

_You know she feels differently, don't you?_

_Yeah. Yesterday definitely proved that anyways. Once we figure out our next course of action I'll have to sit her down and talk to her._

Lost in thought he hadn't noticed the nurse walk in until he heard a muffled squeak. His head snapped over to see the startled antelope, her hooves covering her mouth as she stared at the fox. Straightening up, he noticed her turning her gaze while she failed to keep herself from running her eyes up and down his body. "Are you okay?" He called to the startled doe. She could only nod as she kept her head turned to the side.

Judy, now mostly dressed, headed out of the bathroom when she heard the small commotion and Nick's concerned question. Seeing the petrified mammal avoiding looking at the window area, she turned to ask Nick what had happened only to see him standing there. Bathed in sunlight. Nude.

"Nick!" She cried out. Nick turned to her, startled. "You're… _naked_." Her entire body blushed a deep crimson as she too found herself unable to keep her eyes from roaming the unclothed fox. Nick gave a start and glanced down. Now it was his turn to be embarrassed as he quickly turned his back on them and grabbed his boxers.

Judy couldn't help but ogle his backside, his fluffy tail swishing back and forth over a toned set of hindquarters covered in gorgeous orange fur. Quickly shaking herself, she looked over to see the nurse was also staring at him. Catching her eye, the nurse now looked straight at Judy. She raised her hooves and separated them a ways. She raised her eyebrow at the bunny and Judy quickly mouthed back 'I know' and started giggly soundlessly. The doe smirked and gave her a big wink as she left the room fanning herself with her hoof.

Judy waited as long as she could, admiring the newly enhanced view of her hospital room before sneaking off to finish getting dressed. The doctor would be by shortly to give them their discharge papers and some certain instructions they would need to follow as theirs was a very special case. Scent Bonding was so rare and so localized to one species that many doctors and hospitals refused to even believe it was a reality so they were very lucky they had a doctor who knew about rare bunny conditions.

Nick meanwhile was hastily getting dressed, his embarrassment from the two ladies seeing him naked fresh in his mind. Although he wasn't a fan of putting himself on display, he did find the attention welcoming. He also was a bit amused by the nurse who had been unaware that the light in the room cast a decent enough shadow onto the wall that he hadn't missed her hooves being spread out rather generously. He looked at his ruined shirt before shrugging and putting it on. He couldn't change what had happened, all he could do was extort the money from Judy to buy a new one.

As if on cue, Judy exited the bathroom and immediately clapped a paw to her mouth. "Nick, what happened to your shirt?"

He grinned widely before speaking. "Well interesting you should ask that, Fluff. First an angry bunny tore a couple holes in it with her claws, then a very _horny_ bunny ripped my shirt open tearing it in half."

Judy's eyes widened. " _H-horny_?" Nick's smirk grew to legendary proportions. "Wha-…what did I _do_?"

_This is too perfect._ "Well Carrots, if I demonstrated the hip movements I would probably get tossed out for indecency."

Judy groaned, her face hidden in her paws. "Please Nick, tell me no one else saw it. I…I had just gotten some respect around there."

Nick's smirk faded as he put aside his joking. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry, Carrots. I had Bogo send them away before anyone saw. Obviously Bogo did but he seems like the trustworthy sort and I needed his cooperation. Really though, you didn't do much even after you got free." He remembered the ending fondly. "Actually all you really ended up doing is cuddling up on my chest and going to sleep."

"Well that's comforting, I suppose. Although I'm not going to be able to look Bogo in the eye for at least a month," Judy remarked bitterly.

"Then it's a good thing you're off for 3 weeks, huh?" Judy glared at him and pouted, her arms over her chest. "You know, you're the only mammal alive that I think hates time off."

Judy started to object when the doctor came in. "Alright you two. I have your discharge papers here. Light work for both of you. If either of you have stitches that have popped I want you in here immediately. Now Miss Hopps, I know you will hate me for this because I hate me for this, but you will need to use these crutches for at least the first week." Judy scowled at the offending pieces of wood in front of her. "Yes yes, we all hate the crutches and the mammal who invented them. Infernal things. But unless you want to be in a wheelchair for a week these will have to do. Now then, on to the more special instructions." She looked them both in the eye making sure they were paying careful attention. "Now, Miss Hopps will be returning to work in 3 weeks time. She will need to be monitored during this time, Mr. Wilde. Both her leg and her condition. We need to determine how far you two can push the limits of this condition to see if she's even capable of going back to work without it risking her health."

Judy started to speak, angry at the idea of being kept from her job when Nick spoke up first. "What do you mean by 'pushing the limits'? We're supposed to be reducing the strain on her, right?"

"Yes, but we also need to know if we can help her exist outside the small bubble you two currently have. Working, traveling, even showering you won't be able to stay together at such a close space for your whole lives. Eventually something would factor in and it would be devastating. Now, our current idea is to scent rub something she has to wear so that the scent is kept close to her. Obviously this won't work as a permanent solution all day but it will help for several hours at a time. If we keep pushing the limits we may find a way to help for significantly longer." She marked down some notes on her clipboard. "Now, this may be an unorthodox prescription but you will follow it regardless of your opinion, understood?" Nick and Judy looked at each other before turning back and nodding. "Right. You two will have to begin living together, preferably in Mr. Wilde's apartment." She held up a paw as Nick began to object. "I said you will follow it and I meant it." She raised her brow at the baffled tod until he finally acquiesced. "Now, I suggested Mr. Wilde's apartment because it should already be saturated with his scent so Judy should be able to freely move about the apartment."

"That's fine with me," murmured Judy. "I…don't exactly have anywhere else to go." Nick looked over at her curiously. "I gave up my apartment when I quit the ZPD and moved back home. It's already been rented so I don't have anyplace to stay."

"Well then. It's a good thing you're already coming home with me or I woulda just offered it right then," Nick smirked at the blush rising up the bunny's ears. "You know, you're really cute when you blush-OW! Dammit doc!" He rubbed his arm where the doctor stabbed him with her pen.

"I warned you!"

"Maybe, but it was totally worth it," Nick chuckled, his amusement short lived as Judy punched him in the stomach. "OOF! Slightly less worth it."

The doctor gave Judy an appraising look. "I like you, little lady. You keep this rascal of yours in check." With that she handed the papers to Judy and left them alone.

"Well Carrots," Nick offered her his arm to support her leg, grabbing the crutches in his other paw. "Shall we go home?"


	2. Chapter 6 - A gamble in more ways than one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm having a lot of fun writing this story. It has so many possibilities. I really hope everyone is enjoying it so far. Remember, I'm always open to constructive criticism.
> 
> Disclaimer: I tried to buy the rights to Zootopia but apparently 2 large clumps of dryer lint, 6 apples, and an old bottle of orange soda is not enough. So I'm bringing out the big guns. *brings out McDonalds coupon book*

 

_**Chapter 6 - A gamble in more ways than one** _

Walking out of the hospital, Judy couldn't help but wrap her arms around Nick's. She felt an irresistible pull towards him that she knew had nothing to do with her condition. She had never met anyone like him before and now she didn't care if she met anyone like him again. For years her parents had set her up with random bunny suitors across the entire Tri-burrows. It hadn't stopped while she was at the academy either. Several times her mother had even had one of the bucks swing by the campus to try and lure her away from her studies until Major Friedkin, the ZPA instructor, would send them away gently. By 'gently', she meant the large polar bear would lift the bunnies off the ground and throw them back into their car before turning her ire onto Judy. Only after Judy had threatened to stop coming home during breaks did her parents get the hint and the intrusions stopped. Now though, she knew that no buck would ever be what she wanted. She, Judy Hopps, was in love with a fox.

She knew immediately what the doctor had been referring to about a close, personal connection that caused her scent bond and she was fairly certain the doctor knew as well. And her mother's reaction to Nick's name all but confirmed it for the rest of the room. She had spent several days talking to her sisters and her mother about the mysterious male named Nick who had helped her solve her big break case. She didn't go into great detail about him, obviously she left out that he was a fox and an ex-conman, but they all had gathered that she was crushing on him hard. After not seeing her interested in any male before, her sisters had planted a seed of her being in love with this mystery mammal and her mother helped water it by staying up late into the wee hours of the morning trying to get Judy to tell her everything they had been involved with. Before she had even left home she had realized she had fallen for him. The red-furred scoundrel had stolen the heart of the unbreakable Judy Hopps. And just when she thought her feelings could not get any stronger, he had forgiven her. Her heart had sung when he hugged her under the bridge. It soared when he fought off the rams for her. And when he carried her out of the museum instead of leaving her like she had asked, her feelings had skyrocketed to where she knew no one would ever match up to her heroic fox. She even had fantasized about their time in the pit. If what he had said was true, she began to imagine that she hadn't been savage and that they had been alone. And that Nick had wrapped himself around her like he had described. It made her feel all hot and bothered and, if she had been alone, she would have taken care of her desire. At that though, her thoughts became a bit sad. _I won't ever get to be alone. And while I'll at least get to be near my favorite fox, it's still not freedom,_ she mused _. I hope we can find a way for me to be at least a little independent._

Nick noticed the joyful bunny on his arm seemed to grip it just a little bit tighter, her happy skips faltering. He glanced over at her, seeing her ears drooping a little, her normally vibrant eyes clouded over in thought. He prided himself on being able to read other mammals and with an unguarded one such as she it was easy for him to deduce what she was thinking, although he felt guilty afterwards for what he felt was intruding on her personal thoughts. "Don't worry, Carrots. We'll find a way to make this work for you. I don't want to be the reason you can't complete your life's dream."

"It's your dream now too, Nick. You're gonna be heading off to the academy and I expect you to be at the top. I want my future partner to be the best." She beamed at him so cheerfully that he couldn't help but smile back.

"First things first, Fluff. Let's head home and we'll test out some of these theories from the good doctor." Stepping out the double doors, Nick flagged down a taxi and the pair of injured mammals climbed in the back, Nick having to scold Judy when she tried to 'forget' her crutches on the sidewalk. Giving the driver the address they settled back against the seats waiting for the short ride to be over. Judy snuggled up against Nick, deeply breathing in his scent to counteract the large mix of aromas in the cab. The large ram driving the cab gave them a surprised look in the rearview mirror, not used to seeing a rabbit cuddling up to a fox but in the end it wasn't his place to judge. Reaching the apartment complex, the ram turned back to the pair. "$11.80" Nick tossed him a twenty and told him to keep it. He got out and helped Judy to her feet before grabbing the papers and crutches.

As the cab left, Nick turned back to Judy to see her staring up at the building in awe. "Nick…This is where you live?"

"Yeah. Something wrong, Carrots?"

"Nick, this place is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city!" The upscale apartment complex was an immaculate white building that stood around 30 stories tall. Large windows graced each story and at regular intervals were accompanied by a balcony. Judy was speechless at the sheer wealth these buildings implied. She looked back at Nick seeing the immensely pleased smile on his face.

"Shall we, Carrots?" She took his arm again as they walked into the building.

"You actually do live here, right Nick? We're not going to break into someone else's apartment. Are we?"

"You wound me, Carrots." And indeed, he did look a little pained at the accusation. Judy immediately felt guilty but before she could say anything Nick waved at the doorman. "Hey Dave."

"Wilde!" came the good-natured response from the aging panther. "Good to see you. Been a few days since you've been in. And who's the lovely lady on your arm?"

"This is my friend, Judy Hopps. First rabbit officer of the ZPD. We had a bit of a scuffle with the ex-mayor a few days back and now we're ready to rest up for a bit."

The panther chuckled. "Nice to meet you, ma'am. You make sure Wilde stays out of trouble, alright? This is the first time he's bringing a cop home rather than the other way around." Judy blushed at the subtle insinuation while Nick merely laughed.

"Catch ya later Dave. Oh, there may be a couple of brown rabbits stopping by at some point asking for us. Just let em up."

"You got it." The panther went back to reading his paper until the next guest came in.

Judy looked at him confused. Nick smirked down at her. "Oh c'mon, Carrots. The doc told your parents to come back in the morning but we left before visiting hours had started. Don't you think they're gonna be panicking just a bit and suddenly call you?" Judy's face went white as a sheet.

"Sweet cheese and crackers! Nick, I gotta call em now!" She fumbled with her phone until Nick calmly reached over and took it from her.

"We'll call them in the apartment. We need to get you inside and sitting down. Your leg can't take it. In fact," he reached down and picked her up causing her to emit a little squeak. Carrying her into the elevator, she looked back and saw the old panther smiling and gave her a quick wink before the doors closed. "Hit floor 26, Carrots." The elevator started rising, the numbers steadily going by.

"I can walk by myself, Nick," Judy muttered, although she was secretly thrilled by the contact between them.

"I know you can, Fluff. I also know you are enjoying the attention." Judy glanced at him, her ears beginning to turn pink. Nick sighed. "Look Carrots. After we get situated and we have your parents over for them to make sure you're alright, we need to sit down and talk."

When the elevator opened it's doors, Judy was surprised at the tastefully decorated halls. The cost just to decorate this floor would have paid for her apartment for a decade alone. Elaborate mural paintings graced the wall while intricate patterns were woven into the carpeted floor. Nick carried her down the hall until he reached his apartment before he set her down in front of the door. Judy had been enjoying being held by her handsome tod friend and unconsciously allowed a fleeting sense of sadness to wash over her face for a moment. Nick noticed and gave her a look. "Sorry Carrots. I figured it was either put you down or have you go rifling through my pocket for the keys." Judy's first thought was to say that she wouldn't have minded but she quickly clamped a paw over her mouth before it could come out. Nick chuckled again as he unlocked the door and let her step through.

She felt as if she had stepped into one of those movie apartments. The entry way had rich dark walnut floorboards leading into the kitchen to the left. A marble countertop wrapped around the length of the kitchen where the glossy black appliances matched flawlessly with the mahogany cabinets. An island stood in the center with two chairs. A dining room table off to the side looked unused. Clearly Nick didn't entertain many dinner parties. To the right was the living room. Steps lead into a white carpeted sunken room. Two leather sofas sat facing a large plasma television on the wall. Completing the look was an electric fireplace with holographic flames. Judy immediately thought of long, cozy nights being snuggled up against the Vulpine in the room. She had barely taken a few steps in but already she could sense his scent everywhere. For the first time since she awoke in the hospital she felt a bit of freedom come back to her.

Taking steps into the lavish apartment, she carefully stepped into the living room area and took a seat in one of the sofas. She looked back at Nick expecting to see him nearby, yet he was still at the doorway, a significant distance away from her, much further than anything they had tried in the hospital. She tensed herself, expecting the pain to come rushing in but it never did. The doctor had been right. While close proximity still was preferable, this was manageable. It was a bit of a blessing to not be trapped by Nick's side constantly.

"How can you afford this place?"

"Truth be told, I can't. Luckily I don't have to."

"What does that mean"

"Am I talking to my friend, Carrots or to Officer Hopps?"

"Technically I'm not back on duty for another three weeks."

Nick laughed heartily. "Fair enough, Fluff. Let's just say I ran into the owner of this complex during some... _questionable_ gambling activities. I informed him he was about to make a bad bet, he changed it, and so pocketed a cool $2.5mil. He was so pleased he let me have this apartment free of charge as long as I gave him a few tips every now and then. Now, you should call your parents, Carrots." He tossed her back her phone. "I'm sure by now they're about to get to the hospital to find their little girl has been kidnapped by the big, scary fox. Meanwhile I'm going to go take a shower." He taunted her with a grin. "If something happens, get me immediately. Alright?" Judy nodded as he grabbed a towel and headed down the hall.

Settling into the couch, she raised her leg and propped it on one of the throw pillows nearby. _What kind of male has throw pillows?_ She giggled at the thought of him buying them in the store. Grabbing her phone, she rang her parents for a video chat. Almost immediately the call was picked up.

"Judy!" Bonnie cried. "We were just on the way to the hospital to get you."

"Get me? What do you mean get me?"

Stu grabbed the phone. "We're taking you back home, Jude."

"I can't leave. I can't be away from Nick, remember?"

"Oh Jude. That whole disease thing is a bunch of overripe lettuce."

"Stu! It is not. It's a real condition and our daughter has it." Bonnie turned back to the screen. "Judy I was going to suggest Nick come with us to Bunnyburrow to give you some time to heal away from the city."

"No, mom. I'm not leaving. I'm trying to find a way for me to go back to work safely." Judy noticed her mother's fearful look before Stu had put his face in front of the screen.

"We'll discuss this when we get to the hospital. We're almost there."

"I'm not at the hospital dad. I'm at Nick's." Her father's face blanched and he opened and closed his mouth unable to utter a sound. Judy rolled her eyes before looking at her mother. "He told me to invite you here so we could all talk." She gave them the address before hanging up and laying back on the couch. Her foot thumped on the couch rapidly as she began to feel herself get angry at her father's behavior. _How dare he. How dare he insinuate that this is all in my head. That Nick was somehow hurting me. About being dragged back to Bunnyburrow._ She sat up as a panicked thought flashed through her mind. _He wants me away from Nick. He's going to try and take me away! I can't be away!_

Her chest tightened as she began hyperventilating, her breathing coming in ragged gasps. She felt as if her lungs were collapsing, the air becoming too thin to breathe. Stumbling to her feet, she hobbled up the steps and started moving down the hall. She tried to call out but her throat was suddenly constricted. Her chest exploded in pain as she managed to get to the bathroom door. Fumbling with the knob, her vision started to tunnel as she burst into the bathroom. Seeing the outline of her fox behind the shower door, she moved as fast as possible to the glass walls. She could smell the scent she so desperately needed and slowly was coming back to normality, but it wasn't enough. Throwing open the shower door, she flung herself at the wet fox.

"Carrots, what are you-" he broke off as he saw the panicked look on her face slowly disappear as she nuzzled his chest. Reaching up she grabbed his head and pulled him down to her as she buried herself into his neck. He wrapped his arms around her as he lowered them both to the floor. Pulling her into him, he held her tight as he rocked her underneath the hot water.

 

 


	3. Meeting the folks proper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7: Meeting the folks proper
> 
> Disclaimer: Tried to trade Disney a skunk butt rug for ownership of Zootopia. Few problems. 1) Turns out that's not enough value. 2) They already had one. And 3) The skunk wasn't dead yet. *takes 14th shower*

The pair of drenched mammals sat in the shower for a little while before Judy sat up. "Nick, my parents are on their way. I should probably get out before they get here." She started to get up and shuffle out of the shower before Nick stopped her.

"Carrots, you need a shower too, if not to relax your leg more than anything. Go ahead and take one. I'll stay right here so the water doesn't mask my scent too much." Judy was about to argue that she didn't really want for him to be watching her while she was naked when he, while sitting, turned to face the outside corner of the glass shower. "Don't worry Carrots, I'm not into sneaking peeks unlike a certain bunny I know." She could practically see the smirk oozing from him. "Just take your shower and we'll figure out what we can do before your parents arrive." Reassured, Judy stripped out of her wet clothes and let the hot water run over her fur, feeling her muscles relax and the memories of her latest episode wash away. They didn't stay in there long and once she was done Nick exited the shower ahead of her. Grabbing his towel, he lightly dried himself off before handing Judy the towel and going to grab a second one. The towel still held his scent and Judy inhaled it as she spent some time drying herself off. His scent once again calmed her nerves. Before she could wonder about what to do for clothing, Nick appeared with a plain white t-shirt and a pair of baggy shorts.

"I uh, ran the collar along my neck. I'm hoping it will be enough to prevent another attack." Judy smiled softly at him, grateful for how he had so smoothly slipped into their current relationship role. She shrugged the shirt on and was immediately surrounded by the smell of her fox.

"It's perfect, Nick. Thank you." She cinched up the shorts as much as possible and rolled the waist down to shorten them a bit. He was so much taller than her that the clothes barely fit but she wasn't going to complain. Nick thought she looked adorable in the overly large clothes but before he could tell her that there was a knock at the door. "That's probably my parents." Nick looked a little concerned as the last time he had met her parents her father had pulled a can of fox repellent on him. Judy saw his apprehension. "Don't worry, Nick. I'll protect you from the big, bad rabbit." Nick shot her a look before relaxing into a smile, softly chuckling. Judy giggled and went to answer the door.

Opening it wide, Judy had to clamp her paw over her mouth to stop from laughing at her parents' expressions. Obviously they were not expecting Nick to be living in such an extravagant apartment. "Hi mom, hi dad. Come on in." They were even more astonished as they got a full view of the rest of the unit.

"Mr. Wilde, you-you live _here_?" Bonnie stammered a little trying not to seem too shocked in case he took offense even though her surprise was at how expensive the apartment must be and not because he was a fox.

"Technically we both do now." Bonnie and Stu gave a start. "The doctor determined that Carrots would be safest living here with me in case she experienced any more attacks since most of the apartment carries my scent." He headed over to the kitchen. "Anyone want a drink? I have a fully stocked bar."

Stu smacked his lips. "Can you make a Fuzzy Carrot?"

"Stu!" Bonnie smacked his arm.

Nick laughed heartily. "Sure can. Take a seat, Stu." The buck practically ran to the island and hopped up on one of the high backed chairs. "Ice?" Stu shook his head. Nick grabbed a cocktail shaker and began pouring in the schnapps and carrot juice.

Bonnie shook her head as she and Judy took a seat on one of the couches. "Stu will have him over there all day."

"At least they're getting along better than at the hospital," Judy said.

Bonnie smiled at Judy. "Well there is that. Now hon, how are you doing?" She watched her daughter give a large sigh.

"I don't really know, mom. It's so strange. And scary. Like really scary. Without being near Nick or at least being able to smell him my body starts to shut down. My chest explodes in pain. I can't breathe. I even start losing my vision. I had an attack right before you got here and barely managed to make it to Nick in the show-…er…" Judy realized what she had just said and hid her eyes behind her paws.

"Judith!" Her mother was shocked by her daughter's words, her cry reaching over to Stu who quickly turned and looked at them. Bonnie gave him a smile and waved him off. Stu turned back to Nick and began chatting with him again, already on his second drink. Judy refused to look up as her mother continued. "Why were you in the shower with him?! I know how you feel about him but you don't even know if he feels the same way. Not to mention this is going a little fast, isn't it? From what you've said you've spent less than a week together."

"It wasn't like that, mom! I was dying! Literally! But he was a complete gentlemale the whole time. It's one of the things I lo-ike about him." She sheepishly glanced at her mother who gave her a look telling her she caught her deflection.

"It's okay dear. We know. We all do. Even Nick." Judy pulled her ears down over her eyes in embarrassment.

"I just wish I knew if he felt the same. It would make things so much easier." Judy stared longingly at the fox across the way. Bonnie shook her head at her lovestruck daughter. The last crush Judy had had was in high school and she looked just like this back then, although with a lot more intensity.

"I don't know, hon. He's probably the hardest mammal I've ever tried to read and I've been reading you and all your 274 siblings for decades. I know he likes you. That's evident enough. But I don't know how deep it goes. I'm sorry I couldn't give you more than that."

"It's okay, mom. I'll get it out of him sooner or later. You know I don't know when to quit."

Bonnie chuckled at the saying her daughter had been using for the last decade and a half. "Now, Judy. I'm guessing your ensemble is due to the impromptu shower?"

Judy blushed, the inside of her ears turning a faint pink. "Yeah. Nick loaned them to me. He scented the shirt collar so I could be away from him easier. So far it seems to be working."

"Well that certainly explains the strong fox smell I've been getting over here. Don't you have a change of clothes?"

"Mom, I took off in the farm truck, remember? It's not like I brought a suitcase."

"Well then, it looks like I'm going to have to take you shopping. If you're going to live here then you're going to need some clothes." Bonnie stood and held her paw out to Judy.

"But I can't leave here without Nick."

"What about his shirt? It seems to be working okay."

_Mom's right,_ Judy thought. _Maybe if he re-scented the shirt I could leave for a little while. It is what the doctor suggested we try although it might be a bit soon._ Deciding to ask Nick, he agreed that she did need some new clothes and that it would be a good opportunity to try since she would be with a family member. He went into his room and after a couple minutes brought out a new shirt. He had spent some time rolling around on the shirt as well as rubbing the collar vigorously with his neck and chin, saturating it with his scent. "Here, Carrots. Wear this. If this doesn't work then we may need something more drastic."

Putting on the shirt, Nick's smell was overpowering and gave her the most comforting feeling save for being against Nick himself. "This should do just fine, Nick. Thank you." Getting ready to leave with her mom, Nick put out a paw to stop her.

"Here." Nick removed a red kerchief and tied it around her neck. Judy looked at him a little puzzled as the scent of her fox nearly overwhelmed her. He lowered himself down right next to her ear so her parents couldn't hear him. "I marked this. It's for an emergency if something happens and I can't get to you fast enough. I'm sorry if it makes you feel uncomfortable and smelling like a fox."Judy smiled as she recognized his scout kerchief that he had used to wrap her leg in the museum. Straightening up, he turned to Bonnie, noticing that she knew exactly what the smell was coming from the kerchief. "There's a mall about 2 blocks down from here. It's close enough if there's an emergency. Also," He pulled a credit card from his wallet, "This should be enough for whatever she needs. No no," he said as Bonnie started to object. "She's my friend, too. She's saved my life a few times so it's the least I can do for her. Now, you two girls go out. Have some fun. Grab a couple slices of veggie pizza or whatever. Me and Stu will hang out here, maybe watch a game and kick back." He looked back at Stu. "I promise I'll make him take it easy on the drinks," he whispered to Bonnie.

"Don't bet on it, bud!"Stu reached over and poured himself a third glass. Bonnie giggled before patting Nick's arm.

"Call me if _anything_ happens, okay?" Nick glanced at each bunny getting a nod from both. "Have fun, girls." He followed them to the door and stayed there until Judy and her mother got on the elevator. Watching Judy closely, he saw her breathe in deeply, sigh, and then open her eyes. She met his gaze and softly smiled letting him know she was okay.

* * *

Bonnie and her daughter descended In the elevator until they reached the ground floor. Dave gave them a casual wave as the two ladies left the building headed for the mall. "Are you doing okay, dear?" Bonnie still didn't quite understand what the Bond did to her daughter but she knew it was not something to be taken lightly.

"Yeah, mom. Nick's plan seems to be working so far." She could feel her fox traveling with her, if only a small part of him. But it made her feel safe regardless.

"So what does this all feel like, hon? I mean to you. This is such a rare thing that nobody really understands what happens to the two mammals bonded together."

"Well…it's kind of hard to explain. Have you ever felt terrified? As if your entire world is coming apart at the seams and in the middle Is a monster of fear, doubt, and despair?" Bonnie nodded. "It's a lot like that. My body panics at the very idea of not being near Nick. When you and dad were talking about taking me away, my body reacted so violently that no smell in the entire apartment could help me except being directly next to Nick. The panic was so strong that I was literally dying." Bonnie's paws had clamped over her mouth in horror at what her daughter was describing.

"My sweet little girl. I am so sorry this happened to you. To live your whole life in terror-"

"Mom, stop. It's not just terror. When I'm with Nick, it's like I am with the sun itself. My joy is beyond what I've ever known. The sight of him fills me with hope. His scent gives me life. His touch-" she broke off, her face turning beet red as her mom's brow raised. "Sorry mom. I didn't mean to get carried away."

"No, I'm sorry honey. I shouldn't have pushed you. But it certainly seems to be a life of extremes. Nick is your light and everything else is darkness." Bonnie hung her head, afraid for her daughter's well being. She realized she was being overly depressive so she changed the subject. "So. Nick. Tell me more about him. I only know what you and your sisters talked about when you were home the last few weeks."

* * *

_***Meanwhile back at the apartment*** _

"YEAH!"

Two mammals sat reclined in the living room, cheering on the soccer game. "-and Jezinsky makes another tremendous save for Tundratown. The Rainforest district seems to have it's work cut out for it today."

"Rainforest has no chance," cried the red fox, taking another swig of his beer.

"Of course not. That Jezinsky is the best goalie in the league." Stu got up and grabbed himself another drink.

"Hey be careful, Stu. I promised Bonnie I would make you take it easy. And if she's anything like Carrots when she's made I don't want to be anywhere near here when she gets back."

Stu chuckled. "Yeah, Judy gets that from her. She's a real spitfire. But don't worry. What you got here is nice but it doesn't come close to the stuff we brew back in the burrow."

"Fair enough." Nick drained the rest of his beer before setting it down.

Stu swirled his drink in his glass. Not looking at the Vulpine next to him, he cleared his throat. "Nick, I've been meaning to ask you… What are your intentions towards my daughter?"

Nick looked surprised at the question even though he knew it would be coming eventually. "Well, to be frank I half-expected that question to be asked while staring down the end of a fox taser." Stu chuckled a bit. "Honestly? I don't know. This is as sudden for me as it is for all of you. And quite frankly it scares the hell out of me. I spent most of my life pushing people as far away from me as possible and now I have to worry about Judy walking 20 feet away I'm not sure how to really handle the drastic change but I'm trying the best I can. She's my friend and I would never want her to be hurt."

Stu nodded as he considered Nick's words. "Only a friend?" Nick gave a start and looked over at the buck. Stu smiled. "In the burrow, gossip doesn't stay a secret for more than 5 minutes. Everyone knew what Judy and her sisters were talking about and, while we didn't know you were a fox, we all knew how much you meant to her. But what about you? Do you have those same feelings?"

Nick sighed, his eyes cast downward. "I don't know. I know I care about her. That I want her to be safe, to make sure she's happy. But affection? Love? I'm just not sure. Maybe there's something there? But if there is it's too small to know right now." He sat up and shook his head. "Maybe I'm just being a fool. You want to get outta here? We'll head out, take a drive around, pick up the girls when they're done shopping."

"You have a car?"

Nick snorted. "Do I have a car." he laughed as he and Stu headed out the door.


	4. Chapter 8 - A day and night on the town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I dreamed I was a new original character in Zootopia and somehow Disney already owned me. Those lawyers are just too damn good.

Bonnie and Judy were enjoying their time in the mall. The mall in bunnyburrow consisted of half a dozen clothing stores, a large movie theater to handle all the rabbit population, and a few restaurants scattered around the outside. The mall here was something out of a dream. Several stories of shops graced their small-town eyes. Dozens of clothing boutiques for every sized mammal littered the building. Jewelry stores on every corner left the two ladies breathless at the beauty of the gems in front of them. An entire section devoted to miniature restaurants in a 'food court' according to the sign on the map. Judy had never been to one of the malls here in Zootopia. Being a cop had taken all of her time and the small apartment she had had took all of her paycheck just to live in. No time plus no money equals no shopping trips. But now, with her injury sidelining her and Nick's generous offer to buy her new clothes, the entire experience of teenage heaven was open to her

The first thing Judy did was to walk into a specialty store for medical supplies. Restocking her bandage kit, she also splurged a little and bought a crutch specifically designed for bunnies for her right leg. Hobbling along on the one crutch was much preferred compared to being stuck with 2 extra long sticks of wood that did more to hurt her leg than to help it. After that, their mall trip became infinitely better. They stopped in to grab some normal everyday clothes that Judy would need. A dozen pairs of underwear, half a dozen pairs of jeans and shirts, a couple pairs of running short and sports bras for once she was healed and ready to start getting back into police shape. They were grabbing a quick lunch in the food court when a familiar and friendly face appeared.

"O M Goodness! Is that my favorite little bunny officer?"

"Ben!" Judy hopped up to give the portly cheetah a hug as she was lifted off the ground.

"How are you, honey bunny? We haven't seen you since you went back to Bunnyburrow. Oh and who's this fair lady with you?" Bonnie giggled as the large mammal attempted to bend down and take her paw only to be blocked by his overly large belly.

"Ben, this is my mother, Bonnie. She's in town helping me with my…condition…" Judy didn't know how much Ben knew about what was happening but she didn't want to start a rumor mill if she could avoid it.

"Benjamin Clawhauser, Mrs. Hopps. I work with your daughter. I'm in charge of dispatch. I was the one who sent backup to help Judy when that savage jaguar attacked her!" he told her cheerfully as he sat down at their table.

"Sa-savage _jaguar_?!" Judy's mother looked ready to faint as Ben started to panic.

"Mom! Breathe. It was months ago and everything turned out fine, remember?" Bonnie began drawing in slow, deep breaths trying to slow her racing heart.

Ben looked concerned but turned back towards Judy. "Condition? What happ- wait. Is this about what happened in the museum?"

Judy looked apprehensive, unsure if she should reply or not. "How much do people know?"

"Well Bogo won't say anything and the only thing anyone has gotten out of Wolford or the two EMTs is that when you were unconscious you seemed to rely on your fox friend for comfort. Which would make sense. You did just go through some very major things with him that day. It's only natural you would feel protected by him. Although, I have to ask…why do you smell so much like a fox? Have you two been…you know…" Ben glanced sidelong at Bonnie wondering if he should continue or not.

"I'm well aware of what you are inferring, Mr. Clawhauser-"

"Ben, please. Or Benji. Most of the guys use than too."

"Very well, Ben, you don't need to try and hide references to sex around me. I am a bunny with more than 275 children. I'm fairly familiar with the subject."

"Oh yeah, she's definitely your mom, Judy. I like her." Ben shifted in the chair, his weight seemingly too much for it as the plastic groaned at the effort of supporting him.

"Anyway, Ben. No I am not sleeping with Nick. Something…happened…during my savage episode. I developed a rare bunny condition called 'scent bonding.' Basically I need to be near Nick or something with his scent or my body shuts down in a severe panic attack. That's why I smell like him. He had to rub his scent all over the shirt I'm wearing in order for me to leave the apartment without causing myself harm."

"Oh wow. That sounds pretty rough, Judy. Are you staying with him, then? I imagine it would be hard to get to him in an emergency if something happened at night."

"Yeah. I gave up my lease when I moved back home but Nick has an apartment at Green Meadows that we're living in now." At the mention of the name, Ben's eyes went wide.

" _Green Meadows_?! Is this fox of yours a millionaire? Do you know how expensive that place is?"

"Yeah I could tell when I stepped out of the elevator to see art on the walls that would take me ten years to buy. He's not that wealthy but his…friend…owns the building and gave him an apartment. It's beyond beautiful." _Like Nick_.

"So you're not sleeping together. Got it." He waited as she was taking a drink of coffee before asking "do you want to?" Judy spat out her coffee as she began choking on the hot liquid. Bonnie patted her back and gathered some napkins before turning to the young cheetah.

"She's attracted to him, obviously, but she's concerned Nick doesn't feel the same way." Judy flashed her mother a look of anger as she tried to regain her ability to breathe. "What dear? I'm sure Mr. Cla- I'm sorry, Ben, will be discrete. He is your friend after all."

Ben hastily put away his phone he had been typing on as he gave an unconvincing nod to them. Judy groaned as she realized that the entire precinct would know she was lusting after a fox by this time tomorrow. Feeling herself becoming a bit overwhelmed, she raised the collar of her shirt and breathed in deeply letting the scent of her fox quiet her heartbeat. "Ben, I already know you are going to spill the beans about me being attracted to Nick, if you haven't done so already, but I need you to swear on Gazelle that you won't discuss the scent bonding with anyone. Okay?" Ben silently gasped as she brought Gazelle into it but he knew he could never break an oath sworn over the 'Angel with horns.'

"Cross my heart, Judy."

"Thank you, Ben."

"Now," the big cat giggled, "we need to work on your image if you're going to seduce the big, bad fox." Clawhauser forced himself to stand as he grabbed their shopping bags. "I'll handle these and you two follow me."

"No wait! Ben!"

"Let's go with him, Judy." Her mother appeared at her side with her bunny crutch. "Who knows. Maybe this help you and Nick. Worst case, you got yourself some sexy clothes on his card even if he's not the one who gets to see them."

"But I only want _him_ to see them,"Judy insisted. Bonnie smiled sadly at her daughter.

"I know dear. But maybe seeing you in them will help him see what he's hiding from himself."

They both followed Ben past several boutiques, the clothing in the window becoming racier the further down the hallway they went until they stopped in front of a pair of risque mannequins in a suggestive pose. Judy and her mother both blushed at the implied acts going on in the shop window.

"Here we are," cried Ben.

"Ben!" Judy hissed. "I can't go in there!"

"Why not? You want to land your fox, don't you?"

"Ben, how do you even know about this place?"

"Huh? Oh. My sister owns it." Ben calmly walked into the shop, waving at the employees who greeted him warmly. Judy hesitantly followed figuring it would be better to be hidden inside the shop than be seen standing outside looking in. They made their way past rows of provocative clothing, each of them longing to be out of the shop and also secretively wishing they were wearing it for their significant other, although in Judy's case wearing it would be to _win_ a significant other.

"Benji!" A cry came from somewhere ahead of them and, as they pushed past some of the employees in risque outfits of their own, saw a young beautiful cheetah with her arms wrapped around Ben's neck. "I haven't see you in days. How's the office treating you? Have you gained more weight? Benji, what did I tell you about eating all those donuts? You're going to give yourself a heart attack."

"Hi, Tanya. Work is great. No I- well, I might have gained weight I'm not really sure. I broke the scale at home a few weeks ago. And I'm not going to have a heart attack." Ben grimaced. "Most likely. But anyway, I'm not here just to catch up. I have a friend with who needs a bit of assistance in the romance department."

Tanya looked over the smaller bunnies. "I'm guessing it's the younger one considering the mature doe seems quite at ease in here." Indeed Bonnie was glancing around with mild interest, measuring herself up against a few items while her daughter was dragging her ears down over her eyes trying to disappear into them.

Ben grinned. "Yep, that's our Judy. Knows what she wants but can't bring herself to make a move on her _foxy_ friend." Tanya raised her brow at 'foxy.'

"So we have an inter here, huh?" Ben nodded while Judy shrank under the female cheetah's hard look. Moments later Tnaya beamed. "Oh goody! I love inters! They're so…kinky." Judy groaned miserably.

* * *

Half an hour later, Judy and Bonnie were walking back through the mall. Judy was having a difficult time carrying the bags and supporting herself with her crutch so they decided to take a seat in the entrance hall. It wouldn't have been so much trouble, Judy surmised, if the trip to Tanya's store hadn't added six bags to their total. Judy never would have even considered getting enough to fill one bag but Ben and his sister had pushed so many outfits on her that she had been overwhelmed. It didn't help that her mother had gotten two of her own.

"Why don't we call Nick and your father. See if they can come pick us up." Bonnie was keeping her voice calm but she was concerned about her daughter's leg injury. She had been hobbling a little more as the day progressed and Bonnie could see it was taxing her more than Judy would care to admit. Grateful for the excuse to cut short the shopping trip, Judy agreed. Bonnie called her husband and spoke with him for a few minutes before hanging up. "He and Nick are out driving around so they'll be here in a few minutes. Nick mentioned something about going to dinner. What do you think, Hon?"

"I could eat." _I could eat an entire crop of carrots at this point. I'm so damn wiped right now._

Bonnie mulled the next question over in her mind before reluctantly asking, "How are you handling the separation, dear?"

Judy sighed and sat for a long time before answering. "It's hard, mom. I'm not going to lie. The shirt helps but it's like taking an aspirin for a migraine. It helps enough that you can face the light but what you really need to is to bury yourself next to something warm and familiar." She looked over at her mom. "It's…hard to explain. I know I'm not making a lot of sense. Even if I didn't have these feelings for Nick I would be drawn to him. The fact that I do just makes the feeling ten times worse." Judy hung her head, her eyes misting over.

A quiet *beep* from Bonnie's phone broke the silence and she hesitantly glanced at it, not eager to look away from her daughter. She opened the message from her husband. "Judy…N-Nick and Stu, they're uh, they're here. Out front."

Judy smiled sadly at her mother, knowing that she was worried for her. "Okay mom. Let's go meet the boys."

* * *

"This is your car?!"

If Nick grinned any wider his smile would tear off his muzzle. He watched as Judy ran her paws over the sleek candy apple red finish of the restored muscle car. This was his baby. His pride and joy.

"Nick," Bonnie started, "this certainly is a beautiful car. I don't think I've ever seen one like it."

"And you probably won't see one again, Bon," said Stu. "They didn't make many of these and the ones they did are so darn pricey it would bankrupt just about anyone to get it."

"Mom, this is a 1969 Mustang Boss 9! These cars are incredibly rare! How did you even get one, Nick?"

Nick could talk about his car all day although how he got it was a bit of a sobering story. "I'd rather not go into great detail but I'll go so far as to say I worked in a scrap yard for a few years and one day the husk of this car was delivered. Nobody recognized it at first and by the time they did I had already bought it and hauled it off. I spent 5 years restoring it. I rarely ever take it out but I figured your dad might like a ride."

"But Nick, there are four of us. How will we fit?"

"Ah, that's where I made a few modifications. You see, the car was originally made for a wolf which allowed me plenty of room," he tilted the front seat forward, "to add a back seat."

Judy jumped as well as she was able. Stowing the bags in the trunk, Bonnie motioned Stu to get in the back seat with her, letting Judy slide into the front seat next to Nick. She immediately placed her head on his side and let his body and scent consume her once more. It was always so much better when she was with him, her fur on his, his scent strong in her nose. Her tail flicked while her nose began twitching excitedly. Bonnie noticed this and smiled as she observed the feelings this red fox caused in her daughter.

"Onward to -! Hmmm…where should we go tonight? Carrots, you have any ideas?" Nick gave her a quick grin before turning back to the road.

"Nick I lived here for three months and barely had more than a pizza delivered once a week. I think we'll defer to your recommendation."

"Well then, the Ocean Garden it is." A short drive later, the 3 bunnies and one red fox were heading up a short flight of steps to the restaurants entrance. The younger Lagomorph was being carried by the taller Vulpine, much to the bunny's displeasure.

"Nick, I can walk up the stairs myself!" she huffed, irritated at her friend.

"Maybe, Carrots. But why take the risk when you have a big, strong, handsome fox to help you?" He waggled his brows at her.

"I do?" she said with false cheer. "Where is he?"

Nick gasped. "You wound me, Carrots." Judy giggled as they walked in the front door, their friendly banter not lost on her parents. They walked up to the hostess.

"Do you have a reservation?" came the bored voice of the tigress in front of them.

"It should be under 'Wilde'." As the hostess looked through the list, Nick heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"Wilde? _Nick_ Wilde?" Nick swallowed hard and slowly turned to the badger now glaring at him.

"H-hey Milos! Long time no see."

"And I was all the better for it!" Judy began to get nervous and her parents started to huddle closer together. "Not seeing your ugly mug around here did wonders for my health!" The badger let out a loud laugh as his face broke into a toothy smile. "How ya been, Nicky my boy? It really has been too long."

"I've been doing great, Milos," nick was smiling happily now, easing Judy's fears greatly. "How are Rhea and Helena?"

"Oh they're doing fine. Rhea is out back working the kitchen staff to death like usual. Helena is practicing for her 4th grade recital."

Nick's eyes widened. "4th grade?! What happened to 1st?!"

Milos chuckled. "Yeah, you've been gone a while now, Nicky. She's growing up quick. But enough about that, who's your lovely friend?"

"This is Judy. Taking her and her parents for a night on the town, and I couldn't think of a better place to end up for dinner than your lovely restaurant."

"Out with a girl _and_ meeting her parents, Nicky? Seems like things are getting serious." The badger winked at Judy as the two of them sputtered, trying to explain that they were just friends. Milos didn't seem convinced and kept giving them a knowing smile. "Anyways Nicky, I'm glad to see you back. Your table is right where you left it. I'll make sure they know the 'special' table is occupied tonight and they'll bring you up some menus. You remember how to get there?"

"Sure do. Thank you, Milos. Say hi to Helena for me!" Milos gave him a wave as he headed back into the kitchen.

"Alright folks, we've got a bit of walking to do." Scooping up Judy in his arms, he led Bonnie and Stu through a couple back rooms before reaching a flight of stairs. The older rabbits seemed a bit hesitant at first but after seeing their daughter completely unshaken by where Nick was taking them they decided to follow. At the top of the stairwell, they exited out a door onto the roof.

"Oh my…" Judy was stunned speechless.

The beautiful garden patio had been one of nick's favorite spots in the city. Overlooking city center, it provided a never ending view of the lights that spread across the horizon. Surrounding the patio were rows of rose bushes and beds of wild flowers. Wrapped around the center was a koi pond that traveled under paw allowing you to look down and see the fish swimming peacefully. Topping off the mood were four hanging lanterns spread several feet back from the table's corners.

"N-Nick," Judy choked on her words. "This is amazing! How do you even know about this?"

"Because I made it," he replied casually, while inside he was beaming with pride. At this Judy and her parents stopped and stared at him. Nick sighed. "I guess a little backstory will be needed. Why don't we sit down and I'll regale you with the boring tale while we order."

He lead the three bunnies to the table, watching with glee as Judy stared down into the pond. Across from her, Bonnie and Stu were doing likewise, Stu being overly impressed with the construction of the pond while Bonnie simply was astounded at how well the roses and flowers had been planted and cared for. Pulling out Judy's chair for her, he offered her a paw to help her climb up which she gratefully accepted. Next to him, Stu hastily pulled out Bonnie's chair for her, not to be outdone by the young fox. Bonnie giggled before also accepting Stu's offered paw. Judy muffled her laughter behind her paws.

Taking a seat himself, Nick sat back for a minute. "Okay. Confession time. About 5, maybe 6 years back, I had started working here as a dishwasher. Yes Carrots," he said as she gave him a look, "I did occasionally have a few jobs that were legit." Judy smirked before waving her arm for him to continue. He gave her a fake glare, his seriousness betrayed by a mischievous twinkle in his emerald eyes. "Anyway, Milos noticed me pocketing some of the leftover mistake food, you know the burnt ones or the wrong order, things of that nature. He confronted me and, after a few minutes I confessed to him I was homeless." Bonnie and Judy both clapped their paws to their mouths as Stu seemed rather disturbed by that information. "I don't know why I trusted him. I didn't trust anyone. Still don't. Besides you, Carrots." He gave her a small smile as she blushed. "Anyway, it just felt… _right_ to trust him. He took pity on me. Or maybe he saw something In me, I was never quite sure. He let me set up a cot in an old storeroom they didn't use anymore. After that I became pretty productive. Helps to be on time when work is literally outside the door." A waitress appeared with glasses of water at their table and Nick paused in his tale to let them all order. After handing the waitress their menus, she again left them alone.

"After a few months as a dishwasher I was promoted to being a cook. Boy did I love to cook. Still do on occasion. Remind me to make you my famous veggie lasagna sometime, Carrots. After a while, I asked Milos if he would mind if I brought my mother to lunch one day. We couldn't afford to eat in the restaurant, but I convinced him to let me set up a table up here on the roof and I would cook the meals myself. So I brought her here to enjoy the view. And boy did she enjoy it." His eyes misted a bit at the memory. He stared off at nothing before giving himself a little shake. "I had her come to lunch a couple times a month but I felt she deserved it to be more special. So I asked Milos if I could build this," he waved his paw around. "My own cost of course. It took me about 2 months to build everything. The koi pond was the hardest. Damn fish. Anyways, it came out like you see here. I was so proud of it. My mother loved it. We would have all of our special lunches here. I wish we could have done some dinners. She would have loved the night sky." He trailed off as his voice began to break a little.

A sad suspicion began to form in Judy's mind. "Nick, what happened with your mother?" Nick hesitated to answer. Judy noticed this and felt guilty. "It's okay, Nick. You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's okay Carrots. It feels good having someone to talk to after all this time." He took a deep breath before confronting his own tragedies. "My mother was battling cancer for several years. She lived in a special facility that helped take care of her. Most of my… _earnings_ went towards the cost of her treatment. I had to get special permission to take her out for lunches but she always came back so happy that the nurses would encourage it often. Eventually she became too weak to make it out that often. A couple times a month became once a month Then once every other month." He took a big drink of water before glancing down at the koi swimming underneath him. "A few days after our last lunch she passed away." Judy's eyes began filling with tears as Nick heard Bonnie give a tiny squeak. Stu looked even worse off than his daughter as tears were already spilling from eyes that he was desperately trying to wipe clear.

"Nick, I am so sorry." Judy reached out her paw and laced it with Nick's.

Nick smiled softly at the small, intimate contact. "Don't worry, Carrots. It happened a long time ago and I've accepted it as part of my life. I'll always remember her, especially in this place. It was just hard coming here without her, that's why I haven't been back here in such a long time. But it felt right to bring you here and with your parents it felt even more so. This is a great place to make some happy memories and now you got to do it with your folks." Judy smiled happily at her parents and leaned forward to give them a hug. _And this is why building this place was one of the best decisions I ever made. That and following this cute little bunny to the ends of Zootopia and back again._

"Anyways, enough of this mushy stuff," Nick called out as the waitress came back with their food. "Let's dig in."

* * *

After dropping off Stu and Bonnie at their truck that Judy borrowed, they headed back to their apartment. It had been a long, but great day. Judy was starting to hurt from leaning on the crutch all day so she readily accepted Nick's offer to let him carry her to and from the elevator. Putting her down to get the keys, Judy couldn't help but stare at Nick's back thinking about how much fun she had had that day. She didn't want it to end but she wasn't sure what would happen if she suggested what was going on in her mind right then, so she let her uncertainty decide. Maybe they would talk about it in the morning.

Entering the apartment, Judy was once again astonished on how amazing it was that she lived here now. And maybe it wouldn't be forever, but she was happy for the time Nick would be willing to share it with her.

"Alright, Carrots. I'm heading to bed. You'll be in the guest room here. Is your shirt sill working for you or do you need a new one?"

Judy untied the marked kerchief and handed it back him. "I think I'll be okay, but just in case," she stepped up and, after hauling him down to her height, she buried her nose in his scruff and vigorously rubbed his scent all over her. Smiling at the stunned, yet pleased look on his face, she touched his cheek. "G'night Nick." She walked into the second bedroom and closed the door, a flash of her violet eyes glinting through the door crack before it fully closed.

Nick swallowed hard. "Night, Carrots." He headed to bed, his thoughts a jumbled mess.

* * *

Later that night, Judy was having trouble sleeping. The scent of Nick was still there but it just wasn't enough to calm her mind. She debated with herself on if she should give in to what she needed or stay and pray she could fall asleep. After bickering with herself she got up and left her room, tiptoeing down the hall to the other bedroom door.

Cracking it open, she looked at the russet furred back of her favorite fox. She felt her feelings for him stir within her. A sudden desire heated her body in ways she rarely had felt before, but she was still unsure of how he felt. So she contented herself with just crawling in to his bed and wrapping her arms around him.

"Carrots? What is it?"

"I just need to sleep here, Nick. It's not enough. I have to be here. With you."

Nick reached behind him and stroked her ears. "S'okay Carrots. Get some sleep." Listening to is breathing even out, Judy knew he had fallen back asleep. Tightening her grip on him, she buried her nose into his back, finally letting her dreams overtake her.


	5. Chapter 9 - Truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the temptations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own shit!

A small gray bunny stood alone atop a grassy hill. She could sense a storm of darkness surrounding her, threatening her. She was unprepared for the feelings of terror she was experiencing, nor the danger that it promised. She felt her world begin slipping away until her paw grasped a patch of fur. Thick and russet colored, it gave her a renewed sense of strength to combat the darkness around her. To push back against the nightmare. She gazed up into the smiling face of a familiar fox. A fox that slowly lowered his head towards hers. Barely an inch between them now, the bunny stood on her tiptoes trying to reach her lips to his.

The shrill chirp of an alarm brought Judy back to consciousness. "Noooo" she moaned into a pillow. Just like every night for weeks, the dream of her and Nick finally touching eluded her. She pulled herself away from the comfortable pillow she was hugging. The scent of her fox on the pillow was strong. _This must be his pillow. And…is that drool? Oh god. What is wrong with me?_

Rolling out of bed, she carefully placed her injured leg onto the floor before pulling herself to a standing position. Glancing at he clock she saw it was already 9am. _I never sleep past 6, even on my days off. I must have been wiped after yesterday._ Slowly hobbling to the bathroom, she took care of some morning business before heading out to the hallway.

A delicious aroma met her at the entrance to the kitchen. Turning the corner, she saw the well-defined naked back of a red fox busying himself with the stove. Steadily moving up behind him, Judy slowly snaked her arms around his waist, moving her paws up to catch his fur covering his belly as she pulled herself into him, rubbing her face all over his fur, reveling in his musky scent.

To his credit, Nick didn't bat an eye while inside his stomach was doing flips. He went back to focusing on breakfast, scrambling the eggs as he tried to keep his voice casual. "Morning, Fluff. Sleep okay?"

"I slept wonderfully. That was probably the best night's sleep I've had in months." She reached past him and snagged a fresh piece of toast that had just popped up in the toaster. Munching on it, she happily leapt onto one of the chairs placed at the kitchen island.

"You know you aren't supposed to jump on that leg, Carrots." Judy scowled at him. "Alright, alright. But I'm not going to be the one to tell Chief Buffalo Butt that his favorite officer is out for an extra week."

At the mention of the Chief, Judy's face blanched a little. Seeking an escape her mind flashed to what Nick was busying himself with. "What's for breakfast?"

"Well," Nick started. "I was making us some veggie omelets but after a certain cute little bunny spooked me I broke them and we'll have to settle for scrambled."

"Don't call me cute," Judy growled at the offensive term.

Nick turned and gave her an evil grin. "Cute." Judy drew her legs in prepared to leap at the smirking fox when he held up his paw. "Careful now, Carrots. We don't need a trip to the emergency room, do we?" Judy grumbled as she sat back down. "Don't worry, Fluff. I'm sure as soon as I'm in range I'll be treated to a nasty bruise." He carried over a plate and put it down in front of her. "Voila! Bon appétit ."

Judy looked down at an abundance of scrambled eggs, grilled vegetables, buttered toast and a steaming mug of coffee that Nick was laying down in front of her just then. "Nick this all looks delicious." She lifted a fork full of eggs to her lips and took a bite. "Mmmm it _tastes_ delicious. You weren't lying when you said you could cook."

"I haven't lied about anything, Carrots." He shrugged as she gave him a look. "Okay, I haven't lied about anything since this Bond thing started, happy?"

Judy sipped her coffee silently. Still staring down at her plate, she pushed her eggs around, no longer feeling all that hungry. "Nick. I think we need to talk."

The fox paused in drinking his own coffee before sighing and putting the cup down. "Yeah. Yeah I suppose we do. Here, let's move to the couch. It's more comfortable." Helping her down from the chair, he watched as she hobbled into the living room.

Taking a seat closer to the stairs to lessen the time spent on her injured leg, she watched Nick walk past her before she quickly struck her paw out catching him the back of his thigh. Grinning at his quiet yelp, she taunted him, "That'll be a nasty bruise."

"Heh, sly bunny."

"Dumb fox."

Chuckling, Nick sat himself down at the other end of the sofa, out of arm's reach of the scary bunny officer. They sat in silence for a couple minutes until nick started to open his muzzle. However before he could start to speak, Judy took over.

"Please Nick. Just…let me say my piece first." He nodded, showing her he was listening. "For a long time I've been having…feelings…towards you. At first I thought it was just from me being overly sentimental, or feeling proud that we worked well together, but I soon came to realize it was more than that. Much more." Feeling her pulse begin to quicken at the nervousness she was experiencing, she quickly reached out and gasped his paw, dragging it to her face before she nuzzled it, absorbing the scent before continuing. "I fell for you, Nick. I fell _hard_." She wiped her eyes of the tears now forming.

"I knew it the moment you defended me on that bridge. See, no one had ever stood up for me before. They were always trying to drag me down or snuff out my dreams. Until you. Until a shifty, sly fox, whom I had to blackmail to spend a couple days traipsing around the city with me, stood up to a 1 ton behemoth of a mammal. You were free from that point on. No more tied-down fox. No more 'tax evasion' problems. You were completely free and yet you stayed. You stayed to help me. And then when you opened up to me on the tram? I could tell you rarely told that story, if ever. And yet you shared it with me. And that story showed me a different fox than the one you portrayed the day before. The one that was all an act to cover up a wonderful mammal with a big heart. And how did I repay that trust? By hurting you. Badly. And then the first thing I do when I finally find you again was to ask for your help without even starting with an apology." Sniffling a little, she swallowed hard trying to continue. "I'll understand if you don't feel the same, Nick. I'm not a very good mammal." She hung her head in shame.

The whole time she was talking, Nick had been sitting very still, his face unusually stoic as he took in what she was saying. At the last, however, he couldn't hold back any longer. She was his friend and she needed him right then. Scooping her into his arms, he stroked her ears which were drooped unusually low along her back. "Shhh Judy. Don't say that. You are truly a wonderful mammal. You care about others, far more than most would even begin to. So you've made a few mistakes. Who hasn't? You can't be perfect all the time. You're my best friend and I don't toss that word around lightly." Her ears perked up a bit. He pulled back so she could see the sincerity in his eyes. Her violet orbs were swimming with tears ready to spill forth and it robbed him of his ability to speak for a few seconds. "Look Carrots, I won't lie to you, okay? I don't know that I feel the same way." He hated to see her face droop and her ears resume laying against her back. "I mean don't get me wrong. You're very attractive, which is very weird for me to say considering I was never attracted to bunnies before you, but on an emotional level I just don't know. I'm not even sure I know what love is to be honest. I've been jaded for too long. "

His heart broke as she hung her head down and he watched a tear fall from her eyes. He put his paw underneath her chin and raised her head to meet his gaze. "Maybe this Bond will change things, who knows. What I do know is that no matter what happens I won't abandon you, Fluff. Even if it never goes to the next level, we're still in it for the long haul together." Judy wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He reciprocated with a hug of his own as he felt her bury her nose into him.

After a few minutes he pulled back and composed himself. "I know, let's go for a drive. We can take in a few sights we didn't get to yesterday. Maybe grab some lunch while we're out? Whaddya say?" Rubbing her eyes, Judy nodded, a small smile forming.

"I'd like that, Nick." She watched as he got up and headed to get changed, her feelings very conflicted. _Why can't you just love me, Nick? It would make things so much better._

_But better for whom? Better for him or better for you?_

To that she had no answer and she got up herself to get a change of clothes. Picking through the shirts she bought yesterday, she settled on a light blue t-shirt and grabbed a pair of jean as she shed her clothes. Quickly shimmying on a new pair of panties, she pulled on her jeans and buttoned them while walking out into the hallway. She stood outside Nick's door and knocked lightly. "Nick, are you decent? I need my shirt scented." _God I never thought I would ever say something like that in my life._

"Yeah Carrots, one sec." Judy heard his footsteps approach the door before it started to open. "I was thinking we could head ou- WHOA!" Nick quickly turned his head. 'Judy, you're naked!"

"No I'm not. I have pants on." Judy thumped her foot on the floor. "That's way more than you had on at the hospital. Besides, I figure we'll probably run into a situation like this eventually so it's better to get over this now instead of if there's an emergency." She held out her shirt which Nick took and started closing the door.

"Okay, makes sense I guess." Mumbling to himself he muttered "And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the talk we just had," unaware that Judy's keen hearing would pick it up.

The bunny was too stunned to move. _Was that why I did it? Was I so upset that he didn't feel the same way that I subconsciously decided to ambush him into forcing him to develop feelings for me?_ The morning had been an emotional roller coaster for the little rabbit. Covering herself with her paws, she opened Nick's door and stepped inside his room. Catching him rolling around on his bed coating her shirt with his scent, she giggled at how childlike he appeared. The sound did not go unnoticed as he immediately stopped his rolling and sat up, a look of irritation on his muzzle. Quickly Judy moved to the bed and sat down. "Look Nick, I didn't mean to surprise you like that. Bunnies aren't quite so modest around family and that's kinda what we are now. Isn't it?" Nick's brows raised so high they threatened to disappear. "Anyway I'm sorry I ambushed you and then barged in here. Still half naked apparently. Okay, wow, suddenly I'm seeing the whole thing in a different light. I'll just take this," she grabbed the shirt from Nick's paws "and I'll meet you in the living room." Her face and ears now beet red, she quickly hurried out the door.

Nick sat there for a while, Judy's words playing back in his head over and over. _"Family and that's kinda what we are now. Isn't it?"_ Family. Nick didn't know how he was supposed to feel. He had been without a family for so long that he hadn't ever thought he'd be apart of one again. And now it was the same small bunny who had completely turned his world upside down that was doing it again. A smile slowly crept it's way across his muzzle. _Family. I would like that._ Even if he couldn't love Judy the way she was hoping, he could still love her another way. As part of a family. Grinning widely now, he stood up and headed out his door.

* * *

Cruising around Zootopia in his restored muscle car would normally have been enjoyable for Nick, but with Judy in the passenger seat it was so much more. She had a habit of looking at everything with a child-like enthusiasm and innocence that seemed to spill over onto Nick. He smiled with glee when she would whoop as they took a hill a little fast and caught some air under the tires. Or her astonishment at the Oasis Hotel that looked like a giant palm tree over a thousand feet high in Sahara Square. Simple things he always took for granted were suddenly revealed to him in a whole new light.

It was during their cruise around the Rainforest District that Judy's stomach began to growl. Nick chuckled at the sound before his own stomach started making similar noises leading to Judy to laugh right back at him. "Guess we should stop for some lunch."

"I'm open for whatever, Slick." Indeed Judy hadn't finished her breakfast that morning, delicious though it was, and was getting very hungry.

Nick thought about it for a minute. "Pizza?"

"Sounds good to me." Judy's mouth began watering at the idea of some heavily cheesed veggie pizza. Watching Nick turn back onto the main drag, she leaned back to stare at the red fox next to her. _Why am I so attracted to him?_

_Because he's nice and kind and thoughtful-_

_No, I know all that. I mean why am I so physically attracted to him? I'm a bunny. He's a fox._

_Wow, pretty observant of you._

_You know what I mean. Pred. Prey. His claws… running down my ears._ She shivered before trying to think of something else. _I mean, those sharp teeth. What if they were around my ne_ \- her thoughts were cut off as she felt a familiar heat start to works it's way up her legs. Clamping down, she forced herself to abandon that particular image.

_Want to keep going with those thoughts?_

_Shut up._

She had never been happier to see a pizza joint in her life as they turned into the parking lot. She noticed Nick sniff the air as they exited the car and wince slightly. She sniffed the air in turn but didn't sense anything. _Maybe it's his nose. Foxes have better senses of smell just like I have better hearing. Wonder what he smelled._ Leaning against her crutch, she started hobbling her way towards the door. Her leg was feeling better today but she didn't want to risk a set back so she decided to use the infernal thing. She noticed him walking a little fast, seemingly eager to get to the door ahead of her instead of walking next to her as he had been doing. When she reached the door he was holding it open for her. _He was just being a gentlemale. Worrying about nothing again, Judy. Way to go._ Berating herself, she failed to notice Nick sniff the air as she passed by and this time he winced a lot heavier as he softly sighed.

_She's going to be the death of me,_ thought Nick. _I'd suggest she get some kind of scent masking body wash but I have no idea how that would affect the Bond._

_You could just ignore it._

_Ignore it…_

_Okay so bad suggestion._

Following Judy through the restaurant, he saw a few odd glances sent their way, along with one or two dirty looks as they sat down at their booth. Judy immediately slid out of her seat and into his. As she grabbed his paw, she leaned against his side letting in his strong scent. She looked up into his eyes, noticing his questioning gaze. "I'm sorry. I've been on edge for a little bit. I just needed some…contact." Nick was satisfied with this answer. The doctor had told them physical contact would be necessary at some point during the day. This was just one of the few public occurrences they had had so far and he knew it must look strange.

Indeed when the waitress came a few minutes later, she had a startled look on her face before quickly composing herself. Ordering a large veggie pizza with extra cheese on half, they took the time to just sit quietly. The last few days had been non-stop action and stressful situations that it was nice to simply do nothing. "What did you want to do this afternoon, Carrots?"

"I wouldn't mind going to see a movie, actually. I haven't been to see a movie in about a year."

Nick did a double take. "A year?" She nodded glumly. "Jeez, Carrots. If I don't go at least once a month I start hyperventilating."

"Wow. Didn't take you for a such a big movie buff," Judy teased.

"Oh I'm not. I go for the popcorn. The outrageously overpriced, slightly stale popcorn dripping with artificial butter-flavored oil." Judy giggled as he described the reason that she always wanted to go to the movies herself. "You just can't get good movie theater popcorn these days without having to sell a kidney."

As hungry as they were, when the pizza arrived they began devouring it in record time. Nick was amazed at how fast Judy could eat. He was barely finishing off his second slice and she had already cleared half the pizza and was eyeing another slice. Mouth still full, he gestured for her to have it. "Are you sure?" she asked timidly. "I don't want to leave you hungry."

Swallowing the crust of the piece he had been working on, he grabbed a third. "Carrots, you can have another slice. I doubt I'll even make it through this last one. I just can't figure out where you put it all." Judy grinned before snatching up the last slice of pizza and wolfing it down greedily. Nick just stared and shook his head, amused at the voraciousness of the little bunny.

Paying for their late lunch, the duo headed out and got back into Nicks car. "So where's a theater around here?" Judy piped up.

"There's one next to the mall you went to yesterday. Right down the road from the apartment. Afterwards we can head home for dinner. That sound okay?"

"Sounds wonderful really." Judy was enjoying their little time out but she was also starting to feel a bit drained. Maybe it was the emotional toll or her leg getting the better of her, but she still wanted to enjoy her time with Nick. She suspected, and rightly so, that he rarely ever did things like this. Just enjoying a day of relaxation and fun.

Pulling up to the theater, Judy began scanning the movie titles for something she would like to watch. Nick already had his heart set on the new action adventure film "Savage and Skye" and was subtly trying to edge Judy's opinion that way by pausing in front of the ad posters several times, casually mentioning the odd coloring of the main character's black stripes in his fur. He thought he almost had her until she caught sight of a poster showing two wolves, a white male wolf and a dark she-wolf enjoying an intimate embrace and immediately let out a pointed squeak. "This one!" She turned and saw Nick frowning at the obvious romantic movie. "Please Nick?" She turned up the adorable to eleven and watched his resistance fall.

"Alright alright. Turn it off, jeez. We'll watch it but you're buying the snacks." Judy immediately nodded, grinning broadly. _She agreed to that way too easily. Something's up, I can feel it._

After getting their tickets, they headed to the snack counter. "Two large popcorns, one large coke," she turned to Nick who nodded, "two cokes, and a box of Jujyfruits." Nick watched as she pulled out the credit card he had given her yesterday for clothes only now realizing he had never asked for it back.

"Heh, sly bunny."

"Broke fox," she stuck her tongue out at him. Heading into the theater, they noticed it was mostly couples which was alright with Judy but made Nick feel a little apprehensive. They chose a spot near the back of the theater and sat down, careful to spread their snacks into the chairs beside them to keep them from spilling.

Raising the armrest, Judy hooked Nick's paw up and over her to rest on her shoulder as she snuggled into his side. Feeling him tense up, she ran her paw up and down his side. "Don't worry, Mr. Fox. I'm not going to bite. I'm also not trying to seduce you. We bunnies just tend to be very affectionate and this… _Bond_ just makes it more pronounced." She sighed. "I'm sorry, this isn't fair to you." She began to pull away when she felt his arm tighten around her.

"Oh don't look so surprised, Fluff. I already told you we're in it for the long haul. It just takes some getting used to. Bunnies may be overly affectionate but foxes are usually very solitary. I'm probably one of the first ever to be this… _connected_ to someone without them being a mate." He felt her snuggle closer and he rested his chin on the top of hers as the movie started.

* * *

Walking through the door of the apartment, the argument the two were having was in full swing. "I don't care how you justify it, nobody just falls over a waterfall, hits their head, gets amnesia, wanders into a town where their childhood sweetheart lives and regains their memory with a single kiss."

Judy scoffed. "But that's what makes it so romantic. Even after everything he went through, the kiss of his true love gave him back his memory." Judy was still wistfully thinking of the movie they had just watched.

Nick rolled his eyes. "And so he broke off his engagement to the wolf he knew for over two years to be with the one he hadn't seen in ten? That sounds pretty cold-hearted."

"You're such a cynic."

"Guilty as charged," Nick retorted with a grin.

Unable to stay mad at him, Judy laughed before tossing her crutch into the umbrella stand she had found in the closet. Nick didn't own any umbrellas so she wondered why he had a stand but it worked just fine for her crutch for the time being. She hobbled into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

"What do you want for dinner tonight, Carrots?"

Judy groaned. "To be honest I'm not really hungry. Five large slices of pizza plus a large popcorn, candy, and soda makes for a very full bunny. I think I'll just take a shower and we can watch some tv before bed."

"Sounds good to me. I'll scent you a shirt and a towel for you to hang near the shower door."

Judy drained her glass of water and started hobbling towards the bathroom. She saw Nick come out and pointed with his thumb. "All set. Towel should be hanging there giving you enough scent to get clean. I'll have the shirt on your bed for you."

"Thanks Nick. I shouldn't be too long." Entering the bathroom, she headed towards the shower and turned on the hot water. _One thing that's wonderful about these ritzy apartments is there's no lack of hot water._ If she wanted to she could stay in there for hours. She slowly stripped down to nothing but her fur and stepped into the heavenly warm spray. As she washed her fur under the hot water, she let herself reflect on the last few days which had been the happiest of her life. Even with the threat of her condition looming overhead, she had never felt safer and more content. And she knew it had everything to do with that fox. Her wonderful, beautiful fox. The fox that commanded her dreams. That drove her daydreams. That filled her with such passionate feelings that she had to lock them away for fear of hurting him. Without even realizing it, her paws had begun spending a little more time rinsing her fur, running them across her chest a little more urgently. Her eyes closed as she began to dream of her fox stepping in the shower behind her.

_His claws running down my back._ Her paws began gently circling her chest.

_His teeth, nibbling on my ears._ Her paws now moved to her stomach, caressing the fur above her hips.

_His tongue, gently licking me. Entering me._ Her paw drifted further down…

* * *

_It's been half an hour. What happened to 'won't be too long'?_ Nick was getting a bit antsy. He hoped she was alright. She hadn't called out so he knew she wasn't in trouble. _She's probably working out some kinks in her leg. That's it._ He felt a little foolish getting so worked up. It was only a shower. He wasn't sure why he felt so jumpy. _She'll be out soon._

And indeed, a few minutes later Judy walked out wrapped in the towel Nick had scented for her before heading into her room.

_Is it me or did she seem really sheepish just then?_ Shrugging, Nick headed into the bathroom to take his own shower. Judy had left the water running so it wouldn't require him to wait for the hot water to kick in. _That was thoughtful._ Soaking his fur down, he began scrubbing himself down with his body wash when he noticed a certain aroma surrounding him in the shower. _What is that?_ He sniffed deeply, overwhelmed by a pleasant scent he was unable to place. _I know I've smelled this before. Yesterday? No, the day before maybe?_ His eyes widened. _The museum. During the time I had to hold her down. She didn't_ … he took another deep breath. _Aw hell she did._ He felt his member start to emerge from his sheath. _Shit shit shit shit shit! Okay, okay. I can handle this. You're not in love with her. She's your family now. Like a sister._

_You're getting hard thinking about your 'sister'…_

_…Adopted. Step-sister. Step-sister's cousin. My adopted step-sister's cousin twice removed._

_Subtle. By the way, you're still getting hard._

He jumped and cranked the shower from hot to ice cold. The sudden change in temperature made him want to jump out if his fur but it had the desired effect.

_You're going to be the death of me, Carrots._

After a long and very cold shower, Nick finally emerged clean and dry. Seeking the little doe, he intended to talk to her about what had just happened when he found her on the couch sleeping a little fretfully. As he got closer, her agitation quickly stopped and she instinctively turned toward where he was. Smiling softly, he picked up the sleeping bunny and headed for his room. Laying her down, he crawled into the other side and felt her move up next to his bare back. He sighed, not really sure what was happening anymore. "Night, Fluff."


	6. Chapter 10 - Resolve, regrets, and reversals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Those with diabetes may want to leave the story. Fluff incoming.
> 
> Disclaimer: I couldn't buy Zootopia. Disney wouldn't sell it. So I bought the rights to the name "Zootopia 2" and am now holding it hostage. Your move, Disney.

Foxes are naturally nocturnal. They were bred to be a species that hunts at night when many animals were still sleeping, resulting in their prey being unaware. Though evolved, this trait still remains dominant. Because of that, they rarely woke at dawn and, even more rarely, before. Unfortunately for one Nicholas Wilde, he had joined the ranks of those unlucky enough to experience this rare event. Rousing himself from his stupor, Nick scratched his ears as he tried to recall the dreams he had been having. Some were a little unsettling while most were a little too pleasant, all of which seemed to feature gray fur and violet eyes. Y _ou gotta get past this, Nick. This is getting ridiculous._ He started to climb out of bed when he felt his leg was trapped. Glancing over, he found a muscular gray leg intertwined around his own. As he traced the leg slowly to it's owner, a small gray bunny, his breath caught in his throat as his sight took in her thighs. He noticed her t-shirt had ridden up during the night, exposing the bottom of a pair of black lace panties.

He sat stunned, unable to look away. He felt a familiar heat spread through his loins which quickly jolted him from his trance. He guiltily tore his gaze away, glancing up at her face to see if she had awoken. Except for a faint smile etched onto her mouth, she gave no indication she was aware of him. Slowly placing his paw on her leg, he gently lifted it from around his calf, the touch of her fur causing him to swallow hard as he was overwhelmed with a longing to run his paw up her thigh. He let out a sigh of relief as he removed her leg from his, chastising himself for openly ogling his friend. _Something is seriously wrong with me. This all started with that stupid Bond._ He mentally snapped his digits. _Of course. The doctor at the hospital. I need to go see that old doe. Something must have happened to me._

Quietly sliding himself from the bed, he made sure not to wake Judy as he didn't want to have to explain why he was leaving so early. Shrugging on a t-shirt and jeans, he carefully made his way from the room, softly closing the door behind him. _I really hope this doctor knows how to help me. I really don't want to do something I will regret._ Looking back at the closed door, he felt a strong desire to crawl back under the sheets and lure the small bunny into his arms. Shaking his head he berated himself again. _This is what I'm talking about!_

_You know she wants you._

_Yes but she wants everything. The whole relationship package. All I crave is the sex and I won't do that to her. I can't be what she wants._

Grabbing her a new shirt, he quickly scented it heavily. Searching her room, he found his scouts kerchief under her pillow and marked it again. Taking them both out to the kitchen, he set them on the counter as he dug around in the junk drawer for a marker and his scattered collection of post-its.

_'Carrots,_

_Had to head out real quick_

_Kerchief marked for emergency_

_Call me if ANYTHING happens_

_And be careful'_

He stuck the note to her shirt before reaching under the cabinet and hauling out the step stool he had stored under it. Knowing several cabinets were above her reach, he had bought the stool so she wouldn't be reliant on him all the time. Breakfast wouldn't be out of reach for her so he wasn't worried about her starving while he went out.

Grabbing his keys and his wallet, he pocketed his phone and took a quick look around the room thinking of anything he might need. He was half out the door before he snapped his digits and went over to his fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. He figured he would need t if he was kept waiting too long and the vending machines there were akin to highway robbery. Quietly closing his front door, he locked it behind him and headed to the elevator. The trip down was always long due to him being near the top of the building but it never bothered the Vulpine until today. He felt a desperate need to reach the hospital as soon as possible to determine why he was suddenly lusting after his best friend.

The few times Nick had been through the lobby at this time of day was always coming in. Leaving the building at this hour was unheard of, however he was not surprised to see Dave vacant from his normal spot. Nobody would be expecting company just before the sun had risen and if Nick didn't need to see this doctor, he wouldn't be here either. Heading through the empty lobby he headed towards the back stairwell for the parking garage. His head was so lost in thought that he had passed by his car and was three spaces further down before he realized. Grumbling to himself, he backtracked and slid into the driver seat. He felt a dull pang in his chest as he thought of Judy waking up alone in the apartment, unsure of what happened to him until she got into the kitchen. He hoped she would be strong enough to not panic before she read the note.

Driving out of the garage, he used his remote to close the gate behind him and headed towards Savannah Central. The drive was relatively calm with the roads mostly deserted. Normally an extremely busy part of town, it was nice to be able to simply cruise along without being honked at or hear yelling along the sidewalk. He reached the hospital entrance just as the sun began to break over the horizon. Pulling his shades from the visor, he flicked them open and slid them onto the bridge of his muzzle. His aviators always gave him a little confidence boost and helped him hide the few times where his slyness didn't translate to his eyes. If he had had them when Judy had first blackmailed him he would have easily gotten around her trap, but then his whole adventure would never have happened and he would never have changed into who he was now.

Distracted by the reminiscing he was engaged in, he almost didn't notice the very doctor who he had come to see leaving the building. Parking quickly, he jumped out of his car through the window and ran towards the older bunny. To her credit, a large fox chasing after her didn't seem to startle her at all and when the young Vulpine nearly collapsed at her feet out of breath it simply caused her to raise a brow. "Don't..know…remember…" he wheezed while trying to gain control over his breathing.

"Yes Mr. Wilde, I remember you," the doe replied. "It's only been a few days. How old do you think I am?"

Nick shook his head. "I'm not answering that if my life depended on it, probably because it would end shortly thereafter." The rabbit in front of him worked very hard to conceal a smirk at the fox's quip. "I need you to examine me. I think something is wrong. Something with the bonding."

The doe arched looked concerned. "Where is your partner?"

"Carrots is fine. We've found a way to make it work. But something is happening and I'm worried about how it's affecting me and possibly her."

"Well I just ended my shift," she took a close look at how Nick's face fell at hearing that, "but I can see if I can find an empty exam room for a quick check-up." She lead Nick back into the hospital and into the ER. The doe spoke softly with one of the nurses at reception who checked a chart before nodding. Waving him back, the doctor led him down a couple of twisting corridors until they finally entered a small exam room.

Nick was about to sit down when he noticed the stirrups attached to the table. And the posters on childbirth. And the portable ultrasound machine in the corner. "A gynecology office, doc? Seriously?"

"Beggars can't be choosers, Mr. Wilde. Now, explain to me what you think is happening to you that might cause a problem with my other patient."

"Well, first off, we've found a way to keep her safe while we're separated. Your idea of scenting a piece of clothing works for most instances although bodily contact does seem to be necessary at times." He paused but the doctor motioned for him to continue as he was merely repeating back her own instructions to them from a few days prior. "The problem is that Carro-uh _Judy_ , has admitted she has feelings for me." He looked down, a little embarrassed.

"Mr. Wilde, I hope you didn't come in here to simply waste my time." Nick looked up startled. "Mr. Wilde, you, me, her boss, her parents, and half the staff who took care of you two knew she was in love with you. This is not a shock to your system and is not the reason you came here. Now stop beating around the bush and tell me what is the problem."

"I'm trying really hard not to screw her, alright?!" The doctor's eyes opened pretty wide as that was not what she was expecting to hear. "Look doc, she's my best friend. I love her like family but I'm not in love with her. And the past few days she's been getting very affectionate, and her arousal is happening more and more often and I'm getting flooded with it. It's taking a lot of self-control to not just jump at her because I know she's not looking for just that. I need to know what this Bond has done to me and how to stop it before I cost myself my dearest friend."

The old bunny sat back and appraised the young Vulpine. She appeared to be deep in thought and the red fox was willing to wait however long he needed to to get an answer. Finally after what felt like hours the doctor spoke. "Mr. Wilde I can tell you what's happening but you aren't going to like it."

"I don't care, I need to fix this."

"That's the problem Mr. Wilde. There's nothing to fix."

Nick sat back, blinking at her statement. "W-what?"

"Mr. Wilde, the Bond doesn't go both ways. It only affects the one person under it's influence and even then it simply affects the anxiety and adrenaline parts of the body. Miss Hopps is acting the way she is because that's how she feels. The Bond only makes it so she needs to be near you and sometimes in contact with you, nothing more. As for you, everything going on with you is perfectly natural, regardless of your moral dilemma." She put down her clipboard. "I can't solve your sex life problems, Mr. Wilde. I can only suggest you discuss this with Miss Hopps if you feel it's going to impact your friendship." She stood and started to leave before surveying Nick's dejected look. "As a doctor I will tell you this, so you know what to look for just in case it's not simply lust you are experiencing. Love can be measured by certain chemicals in the body. Certain hormones can create the feeling of love." she sighed before continuing. "As a mother and a mate however I can tell you love can also be measured by how we act and react. Small things like random acts of affection, excuses to engage in intimate caresses, simple things that you can watch in your own actions. It may not just be sex you're after, Mr. Wilde. Remember, I watched you when you were here with her. Just think on it." With that she left the fox to his thoughts.

* * *

Judy sat nervously watching the clock above the kitchen. _Where are you Nick?_ His note said he would be going out for a short while, and while she didn't know when he had written it as he was gone before she woke, it had been well over an hour that she had been awake in the empty apartment. She sat at the island and tried to drink her morning coffee only to notice her paw shaking slightly. Her nerves were becoming more and more rattled as time went on without Nick being near. She attempted to use breathing techniques to calm them only to find that the shirt she was wearing was not enough to compensate for her increased anxiety levels, the breathing exercises only served to exacerbate the problem as her body was becoming further aware that her fox was not with her. As she began to hyperventilate, her eyes began sweeping the room in a panic before catching a glimpse of red fabric on the counter. She toppled from her chair, barely catching herself before slamming face first into the floor. Her vision clouded and flashed with spots as she stumbled to the other side of the kitchen. Finding it difficult to stand, she began sweeping her paw along the counter-top until she found the red piece of cloth and smashed her nose into it.

The scent of her fox completely overwhelmed her like it had never before. The feeling it gave her was both empowering and addictive. _Is this what it would be like if he claimed me?_ Almost giddy, she held it to her face and stepped into the living room, laying on the couch with her nose pressed firmly into the kerchief. Her senses were flooded with pheromones and she felt her libido kicking into overdrive. Writhing on the couch, she struggled against her desires knowing that should Nick arrive home it may push him further away from her. But it was difficult. So very difficult. Not for the first time did she curse herself for having a rabbit's sex drive, especially when the only partner she craved wanted nothing to do with her in that manner.

Sobering up at the thought of Nick and his rejection of her, she pulled the kerchief away from her nose and sadly tied it on her upper arm. It would allow her to get enough scent until Nick got back but would not overwhelm her again. She looked around to see if there was anything she could do to keep her busy but to no avail. There were no dishes to clean, no windows to wash, the floors were swept, the counters dusted. _Great. I'm injured, I'm horny, and the fox who lives here is such a neat freak that he's left me with nothing to distract myself._ She had never been much of a couch potato but she supposed she could keep up with the news at least. After a few minutes she realized she wasn't even looking at the tv but the clock on the wall behind it, slowly counting the minutes that Nick wasn't there, occasionally raising her arm to breathe in the scent of her fox.

* * *

Deep in thought, Nick opened the door to his apartment and was immediately knocked over by the onslaught of a gray furred torpedo. His terror over whatever had attacked him quickly turned to confusion at the sound of purring against his chest and a furry head rubbing itself vigorously into his neck. "C-Carrots?"

"Oh god Nick. You were gone for so long." She slowed the rubbing of her head but pushed harder into his neck each time. "I thought you had left me and I was so worried."

"Oh Carrots," he cupped he cheek and raised her eyes to him. "I told you I would never abandon you. I just had something to take care of. I wasn't sure how long I'd be gone and I hoped you would sleep right through it."

Judy ran her paw over her eyes, wiping away the tears that had started to form as she remembered the panic attack she had. "I had another episode." Nick looked at her with worry in his eyes. "It's okay. Well actually it wasn't okay. It was pretty horrible actually, but I managed to make it to your kerchief," she gestured to her arm where the red cloth was tied. "I think it did something to me, though."

Concern etched itself across the muzzle of the red fox. "What do you mean it 'did something'?"

The only answer he could get was the young bunny picking up the tempo of her rubbing along his neck, her paws scratching the shirt she was laying on, her hips slowly gyrating on top of his. "Your scent. It was too strong. Either take me to the shower so I can wash this off or take me to bed. You need to choose now because if you don't I'm going to and we both know where that will lead."

Standing up quickly, the Vulpine attempted to shake the rabbit off his chest only to yelp as she sank her claws deeper into his chest, refusing to be dropped. Running down the hall, he felt her shift her weight almost throwing them off balance as they passed his bedroom. _Sly bunny. Evil, naughty, sly bunny._ Yanking open the bathroom door, he ran directly into the shower and cranked the cold water on. Nick felt the shock to his system and his body immediately demanded to be freed from the unwelcome sensation. However, it did have the desired effect of making Judy release him though not without her uttering some particular curses. Reaching over the angry bunny, Nick turned the hot water on and quickly stepped out. Snapping the door shut, he leaned back and panted heavily, partially from exertion, partly due to his own system being thrown out of whack.

"I'll get you a towel and a new shirt, Carrots."

As he left the bathroom, he heard a faint "Okay" that sounded almost sad. The tone of her voice made him pause in the doorway as he felt that now familiar longing strike him again. He was sorely tempted to turn around, throw open the shower door, and ravish her against the wall. And he knew she would welcome it. She would accept him with open arms and match him move for move. And then it would be over. And so would their friendship. Whimpering as he turned away from what his body desperately craved, Nick sought out a new shirt for his friend to wear.

* * *

The silence was awkward to say the least. Judy wanted to head to the ZPD and talk with Chief Bogo about her duties when she came back to work whereas Nick wanted to go find Finnick and catch up. As such, they were currently in Nick's car on the way to the precinct. Neither mammal could meet each others eye after the debacle in the apartment. Nick was remorseful at how he had nearly given in to temptation that would ruin the friendship he had with the animal he cared most about in the world. Judy was ashamed at how she had thrown herself at a mammal that had rejected her not once, but twice now. She was also bothered by how sincere she had been about taking him to the bedroom if he hadn't taken her to the shower. _I guess there's a reason that the kerchief is for 'Emergencies Only'_.

"Look Carrots-"

"Nick I-"

They both clamped their mouths shut before chuckling. Chuckling turned into giggles and before long they were outright laughing. As the laughter died down, the ghosts of a smile still danced on their lips before Nick turned to Judy. "Let me go first." She nodded and prepared herself for the tirade he was sure to have. What she didn't expect was for him to start speaking in a choked whisper. "Carrots, I'm sorry." Her eyes widened. "I shouldn't have left like that. It wasn't fair to you and it wasn't safe. If you hadn't have had the kerchief…" Nick shuddered violently at the thought of what could have happened to his friend.

"Nick if anyone should be sorry it's me." Nick looked into her violet eyes as she spoke with sincerity. "Nick, I nearly dragged you off to your bedroom and I was too worked up to care if you wanted it or not. I scared myself with how forceful my thoughts became. I want to blame it all on the marked kerchief but it's not. My desires have been growing a lot stronger lately and I don't know how to deal with them." _There's one way but I can't stand the thought of hurting you. Hurting us._ "I'm so sorry Nick," Judy sniffed as her eyes began to water, her ears now flat against her back.

Pulling over quickly, Nick unbuckled the crying bunny and pulled her into his lap. He slowly stroked her ears as she turned and burrowed her face into his neck, her paws clenched around his shirt. "It's okay, Carrots. You're not the only one dealing with some…urges lately."

Judy looked up into orbs of brilliant emerald. "I thought you didn't…you know…"

Nick sighed. "Feel the same way? That's the problem, Fluff. I don't think I'm feeling love, just lust. Powerful, insane lust. It took all of my strength not to drag you to that bedroom myself, but that's not what you or I want. You want a relationship, not just mindless fucking, and I want our friendship to not be ruined by my lack of control."

The thought of Nick roughly hauling her to the bedroom for some 'mindless fucking' as he so eloquently put it had her blushing hard, but he was right. Judy envisioned romance, dinners, and lovemaking alongside the passionate sex aspects she could imagine between them. But he didn't feel the same. She wished she could get past it but she knew there would be no one else she would ever feel for like this again. Working her way from his embrace, she buckled herself back in. "You're right Nick. Le's just get to the precinct."

He got back on the road and headed to the ZPD a few blocks away. Nick's lap felt empty now that she was no longer in it and he desperately wanted to feel her back there. _I need to stop thinking about this. It's not happening._ Oddly it felt different than the rest of the lustful thoughts he had been dealing with lately but he pushed It far from his mind.

Pulling up to the steps of the ZPD, Judy got out with her crutch and walked over to the drivers side. Lifting her neck, she pulled the collar aside for Nick to carefully rub his chin on, providing some extra scent for her to draw on. "Do you still have the kerchief?" Judy pulled the seal Ziploc bag from her back pocket. "Okay good. Now, I'm not going far so if _anything_ happens call me immediately."

"Yes, _Dad_ ," Judy rolled her eyes as she smirked and headed inside. The door had barely shut behind her before a loud squeal echoed across the nearly empty hall. Judy hung her head as she recognized the sound and braced for the inevitable. Two chubby arms suddenly encircled her and lifted her off the ground, much to her chagrin. "Ben. Ben! BEN! Put me down please."

"Oh sorry, sorry." He lowered her to the floor, making sure he didn't drop her on her injured leg. It's just so good to see you back in here. We weren't sure if you would be able to come back at all with your…" he looked around sharply before leaning in. "…condition," he whispered.

"Who's _we_ , Ben? I thought you agreed to keep this private!" she hissed.

"Oh no," the fat cheetah said as he involuntarily took a step back. "J-just me and the Chief." Judy groaned as she forgot the doctor was required to give Chief Bogo the news about her condition as it was a matter of safety in regards to working as an officer.

"Well, I might as well face that while I'm here. Is he in his office?"

"Yeah. You want me to call him up?"

"No," Judy grinned mischievously. "I'll just go surprise him." The Chief hated surprises.

Ben gave her an appraising look. "I'm not sure what you've done with Judy but I kinda like it." Indeed the idea of Judy 'Top Cop' Hopps pulling something like that on the Chief was both exciting and something to be fearful of.

Judy grinned back at her friend. "I think Nick might be rubbing off on me."

Ben glanced at her sidelong, his eyes twinkling. "Is that the only thing he's rubbing on you?"

It took a minute for Ben's comment to register with her before she reacted. "BEN! That's not- I mean, how cou-," Burying her face into her paws, her ears were now laying flat on her back and beet red. "Oh sweet cheese and crackers."

"I'm not sure if that's a 'yes' or an 'no'," laughed Ben as Judy quickly hobbled off towards the stairs. "Poor girl. She's got it bad." Snagging another donut, he let his mind drift to what those two would be like as a couple and he hoped it happened soon.

Chief Bogo was enjoying the peace and quiet in his office, absorbed in the newest Gazelle app on his phone. It was one of the few moments he had had to relax in the past few weeks during the savage mammal case. After Hopps and her friend had cracked the case, the paperwork piled up for a couple days. Arresting a mayor, especially the second one in three months, caused a lot of paperwork and they had finally filed it all away. Therefore, when he had leaned back in his chair to enjoy his free time for a few minutes, the door to his office exploding open caught him completely off guard as he fumbled with his phone to shut down the app. Looking up all flustered, he saw his newest officer hobble in with her crutch.

"You wanted to see me, Chief?" she asked innocently.

"Hopps! Yes, I want you to-" he paused as he had forgotten what he needed to talk to her about. He instead focused on how she was dressed. "Why are you out of unif-" No, that did not sound right either. He was veritably perplexed until he saw her with both paws clamped over her mouth trying desperately to hold in a laugh. "Hopps," he growled. "You better have a damned good reason for barging into my office like this."

Judy burst out laughing unable to contain it anymore. She laughed all the harder as Bogo's glare became more pronounced. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she climbed into the seat in front of his desk. "I'm sorry Chief. The look on your face was just priceless."

Bogo rubbed his temples as he tried to keep his voice calm. His officer had been through a lot in a very short time and her current condition had to be very debilitating. "This fox has corrupted you, hasn't he?"

"His name is Nick, Chief. And," she pulled a folded, slightly faded paper from her pocket, "he's actually the reason I wanted to talk to you today."

* * *

"What the hell is a 'scent bond'?" The pool cue struck the ball sending it hurtling into a solid yellow ball straight into the corner pocket. Taking a long swig from his beer, the small Fennec dragged his stool along the table to take his next shot.

"It's exactly what It sounds like. She's tied to me by my scent, Fin." Nick flagged down a waitress and ordered another couple beers.

"I still don't get it." Finnick lined up another shot but missed the mark. "Shit." Grabbing the cold bottle, he drained what was left of his beer before popping the top off another one.

Nick took his time lining up his shot before knocking two in but scratching the cue ball. "Damn. Anyway, basically if she goes too long without my scent she has a panic attack, her heart shuts down, and she dies."

Finnick raised his brow at that last statement. "That's rough. Imagine, being stuck around your ugly mug all day." He dodged the red fox's punch while laughing. "You sure this isn't some elaborate ruse by the bunny cop?"

Nick shook his head. "I was there when the doctor told us and her parents."

"Her parents were there? Hoo boy, I woulda loved to have been there for that! How'd they take it?"

"Not good. Although they came over to the apartment the next day and we started over. Made a better impression this time. Her dad sure can put em away. He was still lucid after I would normally be under the table."

"Wait, they were at your apartment? The one I'm not even allowed at?" Finnick glared at Nick.

Rolling his eyes, the tall Vulpine snorted. "Fin, I've invited you dozens of times, you just refuse to come over. Anyway, yes. My apartment. Me and Carrots have to live together. No I'm serious," He responded to the Fenneck's incredulous look. "I even have the doctor prescription," he laughed.

Finnick was still skeptical but didn't push it. "So you fucked her yet?"

Nick, who had just taken a drink, sputtered on his beer, the alcohol spraying all over his shirt. "Fin!" FInnick was chuckling at the look on the fox's face. "I'm not going to do that to her. She wants love. I'm not capable of that."

Finnick didn't miss the sadness in his friend's voice as he said that but he wasn't going to push. "So what else did you guys do with her 'rents?"

"Well, they went to the mall while her dad and I went for a drive. Then we all went to Milos' for dinner-"

"Wait wait wait. You took them for a ride in the Boss and then Milos for diner and you're still gonna say you aren't in love with her?" He stared at the blankness of Nick's face before turning back to the game muttering what sounded suspiciously like "Moron." He landed another ball in the pocket before turning back and grabbing his beer. "So what else is new?"

"...I'm thinking of becoming a cop." The choking sound from his friend was the sweet song of revenge to the smiling red fox.

* * *

Sitting together on the couch, Judy had her head laying against Nick's side. They were watching 'Wreck-it-Rhino', apparently a favorite of Nick's but she wasn't really paying attention. Her mind kept drifting back to the meeting she had with Bogo about Nick's desire to join the ZPD. It had gone over well in her opinion. Bogo had only grimaced twice which was a hopeful sign. If everything worked out, he would be accepted into the academy in a few weeks and they could be partners after the six month course. Because of her condition, special arrangements would need to be figured out but there was time for that. Her imagination rand wild with all of the cases they could solve together.

Next to her, Nick was turning over the things Finnick had said in his mind. Why was the fact that they had ridden in his car a big deal? Or taking her to Milos' restaurant? None of that meant love. Did it? He shook himself after a few seconds. He was simply interested in her physically and it was slowly taking it's toll on his body. He knew the cure but he couldn't bring himself to do that to her. _She's too sweet. Too precious to- okay where did I get 'precious' from?_ He was knocked from his thoughts as Judy stretched against his body and yawned loudly. He was also surprised to see the movie was over already.

"Ready to head to bed, Nick?"

"Yeah, I could use some sleep after today." She looked quizzically at him but didn't press further.

After shedding her clothes save for her underwear, she climbed into bed and turned to Nick. "Can you hold me for a little bit? I feel like I need some more contact." She hoped it wasn't becoming the increase the doctor had mentioned but more than likely it was her feelings manifesting themselves as a desire for comfort. She was thrilled when Nick wrapped his arms around her and dragged her to his chest. Breathing in his scent, she snuggled against him and shortly fell asleep.

Nick could feel her breathing slow, he looked down to see her asleep. Smiling softly at her, he leaned down and gave her a tender kiss between her ears. Rolling onto his back, he kept one arm around her so that she could snuggle into him. "Goodnight fluff," he whispered. His eyes started to close with how tired he was. Nearly asleep, they suddenly shot back open as he remembered the words he had heard that morning. _'love can also be measured by how we act and react. Small things like random acts of affection, excuses to engage in intimate caresses, simple things that you can watch in your own actions.'_ Quickly looking down at the young bunny, he touched his lips remembering the kiss he had just given her. The embrace he was currently in. "Oh goddammit."


	7. Chapter 11 - Friendly and Friendlier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Disney bought the rights to Zootopia II. My plans have been ruined. New plan: Kidnap Donald Duck.

_I'm in love with a bunny. My best friend._ He slammed his paws down onto the counter-top before burying his head in them. He felt like an idiot. But why was the real question. Was he upset he had fallen in love? Was it because she was a bunny? His best friend? Or just that he was so naive he didn't realize it? Whatever it was, he could feel himself getting angry. Reaching over the bar, he poured himself a stiff drink. He was so upset he didn't even know what it was until it burned his throat as he threw it back. _Ugh. Vodka. Straight. That's gonna suck later._ He grimaced, looking into the bottom of his glass before pouring another, this time a scotch. _Why am I so mad about this?_

_You aren't mad. You're experiencing the sense of a profound loss of control over your life, stemming from your deep-seated fear of rejection and intimacy. Since you've never allowed yourself to explore these feelings, they went unnoticed until they had pooled together enough for you to recognize them. Now that you are faced with an unknown, your defensive response is rearing it's head as it considers change a threat to your sense of self._

_..._

_Hello?_

Looking at the half-full tumbler of scotch, he reached out and poured it down the drain and locked the liquor cabinet for the first time since he had moved in and went back to bed.

* * *

A subtle shifting of weight and fur roused Nick from his slumber. The sun had already risen as he opened his eyes. Normally, as he had a North facing window, the light did not bother him in the morning. However, after downing that glass of vodka before bed, his head was pounding slightly, his eyes a bit more sensitive than he normally liked. Laying back he closed his eyes, letting his other senses take charge for a few minutes until he could adjust to the light. His ears twitched as he heard a light grunt to his left. He felt the covers slide from his body, leaving him exposed save for the pair of boxers he had left on. There was silence for a few seconds before the faint sound of even breathing made it's way to his ears. _Carrots. That little bunny stole the covers. I bet she wrapped herself in them._ Risking the sun's wrath, he carefully peeked out at the sleeping bunny. As he had suspected, she was wrapped up completely in their shared blanket, sleeping contently. Grinning, Nick decided to push the boundaries a bit. He lifted the rabbit up and laid her down on top of him, blanket and all. Flexing one of his digits, he raised a claw up behind her ear. Blowing on her face gently, her ears perked straight up allowing him to softly run his claw from the tip to the base. He was prepared for her to wake up startled. He was completely unprepared for the loud moan she let loose from her mouth, a small shiver running through her body. What he had expected was a way to tease her relentlessly for her reaction. What he had gotten was… _HOT._

 _Seems this little farm bunny has a fascination with more than just this predator's good looks and sly charm._ Testing a theory, he lightly grabbed one of her ears and lowered it to his muzzle, nibbling the end gently. A small whimper escaped the lips of the bunny he was holding, but she remained asleep. _Time to up the ante._ He opened his maw wider and slid it further down her ear. He lightly grazed his teeth on it before biting down. Not enough to break the skin but definitely hard enough to feel it and leave a mark. Moaning, Judy's body began shaking hard, her paws clutching at nothing as they were trapped in the rolled-up blanket. Her hips began moving with an obvious need and Nick could feel the heat from between her legs even through the sheets. His eyes widened as he realized the extent of arousal she was feeling from his actions and released his hold on her ear.

Judy was dreaming of a feeling so wonderful she felt as If she could fly. Her arms however were bound to her sides as she was tortured with sensations that threatened to plunge her into ecstasy. She struggled in vain as she could feel herself becoming wet between her thighs. Desperate for release, she tried to move her hips against whatever was holding her but to no avail. When the feeling of her pleasure began to withdraw, she cried out in her dream so strongly that she woke herself. Staring down into the toothy grin of a fox, she found herself at a loss for words. The fox however, had no such problem. "I'm gonna get my half of the sheets one way or the other, Carrots."

"Nick what the hell!" She struggled before realizing she was immobilized by the blanket. Her dream had not been a dream after all which made her embarrassment all the greater. "Get me outta this."

"Hey you did that all on your own, Carrots. Teach you to steal the blanket from me. Do I need to get separate blankets?" He teased her, watching for any reaction. There was a slight look of panic in her eyes before she composed herself and shook her head.

"No, you don't need to go through all that trouble. I'll just make sure to watch myself."

Nick smirked. "Alright, Carrots. I'll trust you. This time." He snapped his jaws at her and watched happily as her eyes closed and a slight shiver pulsed down her body. "Time to get up. Things to see, people to do." The last was said with a wink, causing Judy to stutter, thrown entirely off track. _What is with him this morning?_

Exactly what was with him that morning was a feeling of giddiness that he had never experienced before. He surmised it was from accepting that for the first time in his life, he loved somebody. And the knowledge that some _bunny_ loved him back. It filled him with such joy that he was sure it must be shining through his whole body. But Judy was confused and that gave him an idea. Rather than outright tell her, he would show her. And what better way for a sly fox to reveal something like this than with mixed signals to drive her mad until finally laying it out on the table.

Tossing the Judy burrito off of him, he slowly sat up and used his claws to scratch his chest, knowing full well that the trapped rabbit was ogling him. His amusement grew as she had quickly looked up at his face to see if he had seen her looking only to meet his mischievous eyes. She let out a shrill squeak as she attempted to bury her head in the blanket. _This is going to be too much fun._ "See something you like, Fluff?" Only silence greeted him. Giving himself an imaginary shrug, he threw his legs off the mattress and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm gonna go make breakfast, Join me when you're ready." Nick didn't bother putting on any extra clothes and simply walked out in his boxers.

"Wait Nick! You can't leave me like this!"

"You got yourself in, you'll get yourself out. I have faith in you, Officer." He chuckled as she continued yelling at him. _She's gonna be pissed by the time she gets out of there. Serves her right though._

It took Judy about 5 minutes to claw her way out of the blanket and when she finally was standing she went hunting for a certain dead fox. The very pissed off rabbit became angrier with each step she took. Storming into the kitchen, she caught a glimpse of him leaning over behind the island digging through the cabinet. "Nick! How dare y-" her beratement of the thin Vulpine cut off as she took in the sight of him clad simply in his underwear, his bare back and legs open to her wandering eyes. His tail mesmerizing her as it flicked back and forth. She was never prepared for how her body would react to him even though it happened every time. A warmth would spread throughout her body, feeling it stretch down to her hind paws and up to the tips of her ears. Her tail would flick endlessly while her breath would catch in her lungs. Her cheeks would flush and her heart would flutter. His scent wasn't the only thing her body craved. She smiled sadly as she dreamed wistfully of what they might be together. But it wasn't to be. He didn't feel the same way as she did, or so she thought.

In truth, Nick was playing on her desires to keep her off guard. He could feel the heat from her gaze on his long, bushy tail and so he flicked it back and forth at a casual pace, letting her eyes lock onto the fluffiness. _Ten bucks says the first thing that she grabs after kissing me when I tell her is the tail._

_Are you betting with yourself?_

_Well I can't bet with her. That's giving insider info._

_Touche._

Judy could not stop her overly dirty imagination from working overtime while staring at the nearly naked fox, especially not after what she had seen at the hospital and again in the shower the other day. She shook her head as she once again chastised herself. He doesn't like you so get over it. Sighing softly, her heart breaking, she decided to break the silence she had left hanging between them."So um, Slick, what's for breakfast?"

Nick bent down to look in the fridge. "Oh a little of this," as he laid a carton of eggs on the counter. "A little of that," butter soon followed. "A little of… _you_ …"

Judy whipped her head around at the last word he had uttered. Licking her lips, she stammered her response. "Wha-…What do you m-mean-? She broke off as Nick turned, showing a bag of carrots in his hand. _Of course. Of course he would be joking. It's what he does._ She let out a laugh but it was short-lived and rather empty.

Nick couldn't fail to miss the look in Judy's eyes as the morning went on. The subtle teasing, parading around in his underwear. All of it was wearing on her and he had subconsciously known that it would. He stood beating the eggs as he tried to observe her discretely, looking for any changes in her behavior or appearance and what he saw frightened him. Without trying to, he was hurting her, even worse than when he rejected her. His mind was occupied with how he could fix things between him and Judy as his body, now on autopilot, finished making the breakfast. Sliding her plate in front of her, he took a seat on the opposite side and pretended to read the news on his phone. Watching her poke at her food, then slowly begin eating it, he decided now was as good a time as any. "So I realized that I loved you last night.," Nick spoke up as he took another forkful of eggs.

It had been said so casually, so nonchalantly, that Judy barely let it register in her mind. "That's nice," she said as she scooped some eggs to her mouth. He eyed her sharply, waiting for the pin to drop. Her heart began beating faster as she slowly came to realize what he had just said. Her violet eyes met his emerald ones. "Wait. Wha-… What d-did you s-say?"

Nick's signature smirk crossed his face. "I love you, Carrots." He didn't even get a chance to react before a small, gray bunny had launched herself across the table, knocking plates and glasses to the side, the crashing dishes reaching neither of their ears. Nick had toppled off his perch with the force of the impact causing his head to slam into the floor. Before he could utter a sound however, his mouth was covered by a pair of warm lips intent on kissing him until his dying breath.

It took him several seconds and a flurry of kisses to his lips, cheeks, and neck before he found himself able to move. Catching her head in his paws, he held her still. Disappointment and sadness flashed across her face as she imagined him pulling away because of her lack of control until she felt his paws move up behind her ears and slowly pull her down to press his lips to hers. She melted into his embrace as the two shared what they would come to call their first kiss. It was a simple kiss, devoid of any urgency, but it made their hearts sing and their feelings deepen. Eventually, needing to breathe, they pulled away. Judy laid her head on his chest and sighed, feeling happiness overtake her. Nick though had other plans. "Carrots, as much as I love laying here with you, I am still sprawled over this chair with my back on the kitchen floor. Could we maybe take this to the couch?" Judy giggled before she got off of him and offered him her paw to help untangle him.

Nick managed to get to his wobbly legs before grabbing Judy and sweeping her into his arms and carrying her to the living room. As he was lowering them both down slowly, Judy grabbed him with both paws around his neck and smashed her lips to his in a hot frenzy. Nick was so surprised that his legs gave out beneath him and they crashed to the seat below. This did not deter the leggy bunny as she quickly straddled his hips keeping her lips locked to his. Her paws frantically moved up and down his chest, reveling in the softness of his fur clutched beneath her paws. She grabbed two handfuls of his fur and yanked hard. Nick immediately opened his muzzle to yelp when Judy took that opportunity to slide her tongue into his mouth. He was startled enough that he couldn't move until her tongue touched his, a spark going through him that was unlike anything he had felt before. He greedily returned the gesture, his tongue and hers battling for dominance. His paws became restless at his sides and wrapped around her back, drawing her closer to him. He was rewarded by the feel of her claws delicately trailing along his chest making him groan. He knew just how to return the favor.

Judy gasped as a claw ran down the back of her ear, trailing until it followed the curve of her neck and down her back, ending at the base of her tail. She pulled away from their kiss as a strong shiver wracked her body. Her eyes were closed leaving Nick unsure if the gesture as appreciated or if had misinterpreted her reactions this morning. He sat nervously, waiting for her to make the next move. After what felt like hours but was really only a few seconds, her violet eyes snapped open to reveal a fire of lust behind them. Her gaze was so intense that Nick shrunk back against the couch. His trepidation was quashed as his bunny grabbed the back of his head and pulled him to her again. _My bunny_ , he thought, a smile forming on his muzzle even as he was assaulted by Judy's never ending kisses. Reaching down to his paws, she lifted them up and placed them on her ears, a silent plea for him to continue. He was more than happy to oblige as he used his claws to slide up and down her ears, tracing patterns in her fur. She moaned into his mouth, the sensations being too much, far too much for her. She let out a small 'eep!' as her hips began grinding against his, her body starting to shake. She broke off their kiss as she laid her forehead against his, her movements becoming more urgent. Nick wasn't completely sure if what he thought was happening was in fact just that, but he could sense something happening to her at any rate. Pulling his claw away from one ear, he heard a moan of protest escape her lips, her hips becoming even more desperate until he took her ear in his paw and brought it down to his mouth. He opened his maw and ran his fangs lightly against her sensitive skin. Judy began to thrash in his lap urgently. Smiling mischievously, Nick closed his teeth on the tip of her ear.

That did it. With a cry, Judy sat up straight and let out a shriek. Her body convulsed, her paws clenched tight around his. Rolling her hips back and forth over Nick's lap, her legs locked around his thighs like a vice. After several seconds, the small rabbit collapsed on top of a very pleased red fox. Panting heavily, it took several minutes for Judy to recover from the exertion of their latest activity. Once she had firmly reestablished herself in reality instead of the clouds she was floating on, Judy's eyes fluttered, her vision focusing on her fox underneath her. She grinned lazily as she snuggled into his chest, breathing in his scent. For weeks, months even, she had dreamed of a moment like this. Even though it was a minor step forward towards what she desired, it was a step nonetheless. She had her fox now, the rest would come soon enough. _But not too soon I hope_ , she thought giddily, a large smile forming.

Gazing up at the russet and cream maw above her, she raised her paw and stroked the side of his muzzle. "Hey," she whispered softly. "Come here." Gently guiding him down to her, she raised herself up to meet his lips. It was soft. Tender. And filled with love. Nick was content to let it go on forever. Sadly Judy broke the kiss too soon for his liking but he hung onto her every word as she spoke in that same soft voice. "Thank you, Nick."

"For what, Fluff?"

"For this," she gestured at them both. " _Us_. For so long I've been waiting to hear those words from you. The thought of never being with you was as emotionally damaging as this Bond is physically. I would've waited forever for you, I want you to know that. But," she sheepishly looked away, a blush forming, "my body wasn't quite so patient. I really needed that"

"Oh you don't say?" Nick gave her an amused smirk. "Carrots the sexual tension from you could have been cut with a spoon. And it hasn't exactly been easy on me either. The scents you were giving off were overwhelming. Honestly I'm glad I found out how I felt now because too much longer and you were gonna end up being bent over this couch, regardless of how much I wanted to preserve our friendship."

"Well-…" Judy paused before looking up at him with an evil eye. "What's stopping you _now_?"

Nick gulped as an obsessed gray and white savage slammed her lips to his, the couch tipping over.


	8. Chapter 12 - Predator has become the prey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay boys and girls. Here's where it gets "M" rated. Like the entire chapter is "lemon" or w/e you call it. So if you don't like that kinda stuff, just wait until a cleaner chapter 13. Probably.
> 
> Disclaimer: Donald is one tough S.O.B. *spits out tooth* I'm gonna try for Pluto instead. Mark my words, Disney! Zootopia shall be mine!

Sprawled out on the carpet with a very aggressive doe on top his chest was not the way Nick had envisioned the morning going, yet he here was. He wasn't complaining, quite the contrary in fact. He reveled in his joy that there was someone he could show affection, real affection, to. His life had always been one of emptiness with very few mammals in it that he could care about. And now here he was, trapped beneath a fuzzy rabbit intent on smothering him with her kisses, his heart beating faster than it had ever before in his life, including running from a savage jaguar and swinging on vines a thousand feet above the ground. His young bunny love was never one for going easy as his, now bruised, lips could attest to.

Judy was overcome with arousal. She had finally trapped her fox and he was helpless under her. The small dose of relief from a few minutes served only to stir up more feelings roving through her body. Her paws stroked his cheeks, running her digits through his fur occasionally pulling him in tighter against her lips. She felt his nose tickle the side of her ear and she giggled, unable to not react the odd sensation. Nick pulled back, slightly amused by her but also a little apprehensive. "Your nose is cold," she said as stroked his ears. "Startles us poor little rabbits if they're pushed in certain areas, I'd imagine.". Nick was unsure what she meant by that but figured she'd let him know at some point.

Judy shook her head as her fox didn't catch her meaning. Street hustler is beyond naive when it comes to sex. Innuendos is all he has apparently. That's okay. I can work with that. She gave him another kiss as she lay down on his body before pulling back and sliding herself down, trailing light kisses along his neck and chest. As her thighs passed his hips, she spread them to be on either side of his. Her own hips reaching his, she used her strong legs to lock herself in place. Feeling the heat from their joined areas, Nick moaned at the unfamiliar sensations he was experiencing. His uncertainty about where they were headed was mounting and he wasn't sure he wanted to continue this fast. Only the fear of Judy's reaction to him wanting to go slower kept his mouth shut for the moment. That and the amazing feelings she was causing within him.

Judy was unaware of Nick's self-doubt, her own lust overriding her judgment. She knew she may be pushing things too fast for him but her body was in charge now. Ignored for too long, hidden in shame and fear, her desires were pent up with far too much longing to not be set free. A new scent had risen from her fox, one she was unfamiliar with. Breathing in deep, she found it a worthy substitute for the one she needed to live. In fact, it was far more potent. A musk of what smelled like arousal. Judy grinned slowly, a naughty thought crossing into her mind. He had made her feel good after all. Wouldn't returning the favor be beneficial to them both?

Shimmying down a little further, her face was now level with the bulging mass covered by his boxers. Licking her lips, she slowly peeled down the fabric until they passed the flesh of his sheath and she could already see him emerging from it. The size was daunting. Even with seeing it at the hospital or the brief time when she had jumped into the shower with him could not prepare herself for the erect size of him. She was no longer sure her tiny body would be compatible, but her lust would not be denied. She eyed him hungrily before opening her mouth.

Nick snapped out of his kiss induced stupor only to realize she was no longer there. The second thing he noticed was the weighted feeling along his legs. He spared them a quick glance, curious as to why they would be feeling restricted only for his mind to blank out at the sight of a beautiful doe licking her lips at eye level with his erection. "Judy, maybe we should take it slo-OH MY GOD!" Nick thrashed his head around as Judy licked him from the base of his shaft to the tip. He chanced another glance down at her only for her to meet his gaze, a hunger in her eyes as she wrapped her lips around his staff. Nick's body shuddered hard at the increase in his arousal. She was determined to please him and whether it was his acceptance of what she wanted or that it was his selfishness at the pleasure she was causing within him, he remained silent, only letting his head roll to the side. He felt her paws grab his and move them to the back of her head before resting them on her ears. Smiling down at her, he started running his claws up and down her ears, as before. The vibrations from her throat as she began purring was almost enough to push him over the edge, eliciting a sharp whine from him. Unconsciously grabbing hold of Judy's ears, he yanked her in closer, sliding himself further into her mouth. His eyes closed, he failed to notice Judy running a paw down her own chest to her heated sex. She was so aroused that it took very little stimulation for her to achieve release, the resulting effect being a guttural moan. Feeling himself near his own release, Nick pulled on her ears harder, pushing his shaft into the beginnings of her throat. He was overcome with desire and his own needs that he could not hear Judy gagging on the extra length of him. Letting out a shriek, he began emptying himself into her, unable or unwilling to release her ears, forcing her to swallow his seed as it erupted into her mouth. She did her best but the volume was so large that it began running out the sides of her lips and down his sheath.

Spent, Nick fell back, his paws now releasing his bunny. Sitting up quickly, Judy gasped for breath, panting heavily with the exertion of their activity. Nick, hearing this looked down at where she was straddling his legs and could see the mess he had made on her body and himself. Seeing her upright and having apparent difficulty breathing, he immediately began panicking. "Carrots! Oh god, what did I do?" He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. "I'm sorry, Judy. I'm so sorry." He felt his eyes tear up and he buried his muzzle into her neck.

Judy shoved him upright and smacked his chest. Nick looked shocked and dismayed, his gaze falling forward until she reached down and grabbed his chin, lifting him to eye level. "Listen here, _fox_. Don't you ever apologize for what you do to make _me_ feel good or what I do to make _you_. Do you hear me?" She kissed him hard. "You should know by now that nobody makes me do anything I don't want to."

"I'm sorry, I just thought I had hurt you and I couldn't bear the thought of me harming you in any way." Nick held her gaze as she wouldn't let him turn away.

"Did you hurt me? No. No you did not. Did I enjoy that? Yes. Oh god yes." She reached down and scooped some of his spilled seed from her chest and licked it off while looking him in the eye. "Look sweetie, I'm a very dominant mammal. It's just in my nature. But that doesn't mean that I won't let you get a little dominant when you want." Nick was reassured by her smile and felt a little better. "Now, what was it you said before?"

"Huh? Oh." Nick rubbed the scruff of his neck. "I was, uh, asking if we could take it slow." Judy looked at him with a blank expression on her face. Nick was a bit nervous but he kept his awkward smile up. He was shocked when she started laughing.

"Well, um, sorry sweetie." She stroked his face gently. "We can try that if you want."

Nick smirked. "I don't think there's much point to that now, is there?" Judy laughed and shook her head. "I mean, I don't want to do… _that_ just yet, but I guess exploring isn't out anymore either."

"What's wrong with 'that'?"

Nick looked embarrassed. "It's um…It's extremely intimate with regards to foxes. We've already gone way past where a normal fox relationship would go, although since I've never been in one I guess it doesn't count-"

"Wait," Judy cut him off. "You've never been in a relationship? Like ever?" Nick shook his head. "Not even dated?"

"Hey I had a date! Must have been seven… no eight years ago."

"Eight years?!" Nick shrugged. "Jeez Nick I knew you were naive about sex based on some of the cues I was giving you but wow."

Nick looked hurt. "I was trying to tell you, Carrots. We only do it once." She looked at him oddly. "Sorry, not one time, but just with one mammal. We mate for life. What we just did is probably the closest to life-mating you can get without crossing the line and considering I've never done anything before that was a pretty mind-blowing entry to a relationship." He winked at her as the inside of her ears turned pink and flopped down along her back.

She averted her gaze as she rubbed her arm. "I'm sorry, Nick. I couldn't help myself."

"Do you hear me complaining, Carrots?" He leaned over and kissed her head between her ears. "I love you, Carrots. I just don't want to go that far yet."

Judy placed her paw on his cheek. "It's okay sweetie. We'll go as slow as you want to." She paused before grinning sheepishly. "Could we still do," she waved up and down their messy fur, "this? I don't want to wait until my body decides to act on it's own again."

Wrapping his arms around the bunny, Nick rolled them over and began kissing her deeply. "I don't think that's a problem you'll have to worry about, Fluff."

* * *

A couple hours later, an exhausted fox and a dreamy-eyed bunny rose from behind a tipped over couch, walking very unsteadily towards the hall. "You can take the first shower, Carrots. You're a bit messier than me." Judy glanced down at the clumped fur all along her body and the dried residue around her mouth. "Besides, I need to sit down before my legs go out again." Judy giggled before giving him a kiss and limping down the hall. Her leg was better but still tender enough that she limped a bit to relieve the pressure.

Grinning like an utter fool, Nick couldn't help himself from watching her hips sway side to side as she sauntered down the hallway, her cute little tail flicking about. Judy suddenly stopped, her ears twitching. _Oh don't tell me she can even hear you_ think _the word cute._ Sensing someone watching her, Judy turned around and saw Nick staring at her ass. She waited for him to meet her gaze and then winked and give him an extra long flick of her tail before disappearing into the bathroom.

_You've got yourself one crazy, wonderful, beautiful girlfriend Wilde._ Nick smiled, his mind drifting off again.

Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!

Nick grimaced as his cell rang. _I'm gonna murder Finnick for putting that on there._ Several months back, Finnick, in his infinite wisdom of humor, changed Nick's ringtone to one of the lyrics from "What Does the Fox Say" as a joke. He also password protected it which Nick eventually gave up trying to guess, deciding to just live with the stupid ringtone. Grabbing it from the counter, he disconnected the charger it lived on perpetually. "You've got Nick…Ben? Ben who?"

* * *

Standing under the shower's hot spray, Judy ran her paws through her fur, making sure to scrub extra tough at the stains already drying on her face and chest. She loved Nick and she definitely loved what they had done, but he made a big mess. _What did I expect. He's twice my height and way more than I expected down there._

_Gonna be interesting to see what happens when you escalate it._

Judy dwelled on the implications of that thought for a few seconds before feeling heat spread throughout her loins as a smile that can only be described as 'wanting' crept across her mouth. She was sorely tempted to let her paw snake it's way down her stomach but she knew Nick was waiting for his shower. Plus as her fur became clean, his scent was slowly being washed away and she forgot to ask him to treat the towel. She had maybe a couple minutes before his scent would be gone entirely so she left her face for last. A cold draft along her back made her stiffen before melting into a warm embrace from behind her, two large paws wrapping around her front and cupping her chest. She moaned as a long tongue licked up and down the sides of her throat, the hot breath of a predator on the back of her neck. She would have fallen to her knees if not for the strong grasp of russet colored arms holding her up.

"I figured you could use some company," came a voice from next to her ear. Feeling a lick along the black tips of her ears, Judy tried desperately to not let herself fall. She watched as he reached past her for the shampoo. Pouring a generous amount onto his paws, he moved them up and began massaging the foam into the fur on her ears.

Quietly moaning, she murmured her next words. "I…ungh…already got…mmmm…my ears."

His muzzle leaned in close, his voice barely above a whisper. "You missed a spot." Starting at the base, he slowly moved upward, putting pressure into his digits as he manipulated her fur, a few times dragging his claws along the inside of the sensitive skin. Judy let herself fall back into his chest, surrendering to his touch. Emboldened by her acceptance, Nick increased the pressure on her ears, his claws grazing her skin under her wet fur. He smiled as Judy's foot began thumping on the floor of the shower. "I see someone likes that spot," he breathed into her ear, his hot breath making her shiver. Judy grabbed his paw and hauled it away from her ear before sliding it to her chest. Letting him linger long enough to lightly claw her fur, she then had him travel down over her taut stomach, then past her waist, until he was resting on her mound. Letting go, she silently willed him to take control. To do as he wished with her. She did not need to wait long.

Nick turned her to face and him pulled her into his chest. Sliding his digit along her crease, he manipulated her sex as she moaned heavily. Pushing her legs open, Nick ran his claws along the outside of her entrance, scratching the sensitive flesh beneath fer fur. Judy began whimpering at the sensations she was experiencing. Desperate for more, she began thrusting herself against his paw but gaining little. Nick continued teasing her relentlessly driving her mad with desire. Only when she wrapped her leg around his did he thrust his digit inside her, the act causing her to shriek and start rolling her hips over his paw, futilely trying to force him in further. Unwilling to continue her torture, Nick began thrusting his digit into her rapidly. She began to pant as the feeling of her fox driving her to orgasm became stronger and stronger. Her legs gave out, the only thing holding her up was the paw of her fox inside of her. Her nose twitched as her body started shaking. She was so close, but she needed more. Reaching up, she dragged nick's head down to hers and pressed her lips to his. Nick slid his tongue along her teeth, asking for entrance. Letting him in, her tongue dragged along his as his other paw snaked down and grabbed her tail and pulled gently as he shoved her down hard onto his digit. The added sensation pushed her over the edge and she convulsed as she came all over his paw. She must have lost consciousness because the next thing she knew Nick was toweling her off as he carried her to their bed. Seeing her open her eyes, he smiled as his paw vanished. Feeling her folds separate, she arched her back with a cry. Dragging his paw up her naked torso, he held it up so she could see herself glistening on his fur before he gave it a long lick. "Mmmm… I can't wait to have more." She smiled at him as she wrapped her paws around his head drawing him in for a deep kiss.

"No time like the present," she smiled, her eyes half-lidded seductively.

"I wish we could, love. But we have to get ready to go and if we start this again we'll be at it for another few hours."

Judy pouted at him. "You're no fun. Where do we have to go anyway?" she asked, using the towel to dry herself more thoroughly.

"ZPD. By the way, Carrots. How does your boss have my personal cell number?"

"Oh. Yeah. About that…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all I have written so far. Will update as I add more chapters to the story. Hope you all have been enjoying it.


	9. Chapter 13 - Watchu talkin bout, Bogo?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the delay on updating. I was working on a Christmas story with Zanrok. You can see it on my profile if you would like to read something fluffy. I'm thrilled by all of the reviews and views guys, thank you.
> 
> Disclaimer: So my bid on obtaining the rights to Zootopia was a flop, but I got these really cool web-shooters instead! THWIPP THWIPP!

A cherry red Mustang cruised casually down the busy streets, the occupants far too distracted by each other to be concerned about the occasional stop light or sidewalk argument. It had taken another couple of tries to separate themselves from their mutual pleasure after they had finished showering so they were running slightly behind. Luckily for the couple, Nick knew most of the backstreets and shortcuts that enabled them to shave a good chunk of time off their deadline. A few 'shortcuts' were what Judy would normally call 'alleys' but Nick seemed unperturbed until he had a near accident with an unsecured dumpster almost hitting his precious car as they went driving by. From then on he had decided to stick with the more conventional roads in fear of scratching the work of art he was driving around in.

He never failed to appreciate the subtle vibrations in the steering wheel under his paws as the overly large engine hummed, it's power contained but willing to be unleashed at a moment's notice. He was well aware of the capabilities of his car having tested it's handling and speed on more than one occasion, his friend Flash lending a hand in teaching him some advanced driving techniques. He was confident In his abilities when it came to the beast he had built. The animal to his right however, was a different story altogether.

Nick had never been in a real relationship before, his naivety put on full display as he had failed to recognize his own feelings for such a long time. Now that he knew what to look for, he realized he had been in love with the gray bunny with the violet eyes for a long time. If he had to pinpoint the exact moment he had developed those feelings for her, it would be the moment she had handed him the ZPD application. She had saved his life several times, had shown him there could be more to life than just swindling. And then she had shown that she trusted him with her life by wanting him to become her partner, the one who would watch her back at all times, and she his. And then those feelings had been crushed. It had physically hurt him on top of the emotional pain and at the time he couldn't understand why it was so painful. But now he knew. He had fallen for her. And in the span of a few breaths later she had betrayed him. He had acted rashly, he knew that. She didn't deserve being walked out on but Nick had been hurt so badly all he could do was try and escape as fast as possible. It took many hours of misery for him to come to terms with how wrong he had been but instead of trying to apologize and make things right, he had stubbornly allowed his pride to take over. He wouldn't go crawling back to a bunny. He chalked everything up to a loss of a potential friend and tried to put it as far away from his mind as possible. And then, when it felt like the worst was coming to pass and there was no real hope left in the city or in him, the most amazing thing happened.

She came back. She came back to find him, for his help. Him, out of all mammals. It had filled him with the hope he had lost. He was so willing to forgive her that the rush and strength of his emotions scared him. It took every ounce of his ability to not break down then and there and keep up his false charade but somehow he had managed to keep himself collected. And yet he still failed to see what was really happening. Nick Wilde had fallen in love with the bunny so completely that his mind never had a chance to truly understand it. She had become so ingrained in his life in such a short time that it felt to him as if she had been there forever and so the feelings never opened his eyes. Such was the problem of his naivety. The con-man had conned himself and nearly cost him what had become the most valuable and precious thing in the world to him; Judy.

That small gray bunny was a conundrum. How could someone so small, so unassuming, be one of the toughest and fiercest mammals alive? How could someone faced with so much adversity and doubt still be so compassionate and loyal? How could such a mammal exist? And why, why would she choose to love _him_ out of everyone else? He was nothing special. In fact he had been the epitome of what she despised. A criminal with no drive and no ambition. Someone who skated along in life not caring who or what he hurt if it meant he didn't need to try to be something better. She was still a mystery to him in many ways, but one thing that they did have in common was the most important. They loved each other.

Nick was suddenly startled from his contemplation as the exact bunny in question had shifted across the seat and snuggled up to his side, her twitching nose and content sigh all too easy to read. Nick took one paw off the wheel and wrapped his arm around her, dragging her in tighter. Judy turned slightly and buried her nose into his side. "So Carrots, what should I expect from Chief Buffalo-butt today? Is he in favor of the idea of me joining the force or am I going to be grilled like there was no tomorrow?"

Breathing in his scent, Judy allowed herself to pull away from the ever-comforting aroma her fox gave off. Looking up at his chiseled features, she admired the fangs hidden slightly under his lip, the thought of them nipping at her earlier still fresh on her mind. Shivering under the sudden onslaught of her arousal, she focused on what Nick was asking her. "The Chief just wants to learn about you, Nick. Find out why you want to go to the Academy. Why you want to be a police officer." She paused before continuing with what she knew would be the hardest part of his interview. "You just need to be honest with him, Nick. Bogo is almost as skilled at reading lies as you are at hiding them. He'll detect your bullshit and call you out on it."

Nick gave her an appraising look. "You know Carrots, I think I may be a bad influence on you. Ever since we've been stuck with each other your use of swear words has gone up drastically." He watched as the insides of Judy's ears turned pink and flopped down her back, her face now in her paws. Nick laughed. "Zootopia corrupts another incorruptible soul."

Nick yipped a little as Judy gave him a light tap on the arm. Light by her standards anyway as it was still enough that it would cause a slight bruise later. "That's police brutality, Carrots." Nick winced as he rubbed his arm trying to will the pain away.

"Off duty, remember?" She grinned at him, her lips half-curled into a smirk giving her face an evil appearance.

Nick shook his head. "Sly bunny."

"Dumb fox."

Chuckling, the red fox made a right turn along Main street where the ZPD headquarters was located. "So I just need to be completely honest with the cop that once said that he wouldn't trust the word of a fox?"

Judy grimaced at the memory of her Chief revealing himself to be biased towards foxes. She had thought a Chief of Police would be infallible, but just as he had failed to trust her, a rabbit, to be a capable officer, he had also shown that he couldn't trust the word of a witness simply because he was a fox. It had shown her that cops were still mammals, filled with their own judgments and prejudices. The only saving grace he had in Judy's eyes was that he was a mammal who was willing to accept when he was wrong as he done when she had solved the Missing Mammals case several months back. Would he trust her judgment when it came to her fox or would he continue to distrust him simply because of his red fur? She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Nick, I'm not going to pretend that this will be as straightforward as I'd like. I don't know what Bogo will say and I don't know how this will go. I really wish I did but I do know that you've always faced everything as a challenge and you are very good at beating those challenges. My money is on you as it always is." Nick took the opportunity at a stoplight to lean over and kiss Judy lightly between her ears, earning a blush as they shot upward. "N-Nick, you can't just do that," she stammered.

Nick slowed the car down as they pulled into a spot in front of Preciinct One. "It's every boyfriend's right to kiss their girlfriend, especially if it's a surprise." Judy flushed red at the words 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend'. Judy had been on a few dates over the years but it never devleoped into anything serious. Now to hear someone refer to her as their girlfriend filled her with intense feelings of happiness. Reaching down, she grasped his paw and raised it to her face. She felt him cup her cheek as she nuzzled him affectionately.

"C'mon, Slick. Let's get you enrolled."

* * *

Walking through the double doors, Judy once again was reminded of how much she loved her home away from home. The tall ceilings and bright lighting made the whole building feel airy and open, especially to a small bunny like herself. Even though her memories of her time here were not quite so fond, she knew that her future would be far better. She could almost imagine the big cases she and her partner would be on. Hunting down the bad guys, going undercover to bust mob bosses and drug lords. They would be the best crime fighting duo Zootopia had ever seen! Looking over at her future 'partner', she noticed he was staring at Clawhauser, head tilted to the side in confusion as he watched the portly cheetah down three donuts in one bite. _Or maybe not,_ she giggled mentally.

"C'mon Nick, let's head up before-"

"JUDY! O M GOODNESS!"

"-Ben sees us." Grinning, Judy turned and acknowledged the cheetah. "Hi Ben. How's the desk treatin' ya?"

"As great as ever," Clawhauser beamed. "I just done showing this rather grumpy panther the new Gazelle app while McHorn was booking him."

Hobbling over on her sore leg, Judy gave Clawhauser a pointed look. "Why do you have to do that to those guys, Ben?"

Clawhauser gasped. "Shame on you, Judy. As if I would forgo a chance at enlightening a non-fan to the beauty that is my favorite 'Angel with horns.' Also," he looked around before leaning in to the rabbit, "it's the only way I can torment the bad guys these days since I'm not out in the field anymore." Judy and Ben both turned as they heard a loud barking laugh from behind them.

Nick looked slightly abashed as he raised his paws up in mock surrender. "I'm sorry, that just came off way too amusing to me." He saw the mischievous smile on the dispatch officer's face and knew this mammal was a force to both fear and friend. He could definitely work with this guy. "Anyways, so Carrots and I need to go see Bogo so if you coul-" Nick started before Clawhauser cut him off.

"Sorry guys change of plans. Bogo wants to speak to Nick alone."

Both Nick and Judy appeared apprehensive at this news. Nick had been hoping Judy would be there to act as a bit of a buffer in case the buffalo decided to go on an anti-fox hunt again. Judy had been hoping to discuss what the plans would be when he got accepted. They still needed to find a way for her to have access to him multiple times a day due to their Bond and with the way the ZPD and ZPA were structured that would be a difficult process by itself, even if it was a necessary one.

Judy just stared at Nick, unable to come up with an explanation. "Do you know why, Ben?"

Ben had been watching them and had been finding himself very distracted with his thoughts. Because of this, Judy's question caught him a bit off guard. "What? Oh. Yeah, he wants to see how Nick can handle himself one-on-one since that comes up a lot when being an officer."

Judy caught herself nodding at the explanation, seeing Nick give her a look. "One thing we learn in the Academy is interrogations. They actually put you through some interrogations yourself. Rule #1 is always 'If you can't handle being interrogated yourself, you can't handle interrogating someone else.' But don't worry, Slick. I have full confidence in your silver- _tongue_ to be able to handle it."

There was just enough emphasis on 'tongue' for Nick to understand but still leave Clawhauser in the dark. Luckily Nick had picked up on it and sent her a devious wink. "So Spots, where am I headed? Might as well go deal with Buffalo-butt now and get it out of the way."

"Oh, it's on the third floor, office at the end." Ben and Judy started to watch the red fox head towards the elevator before Judy grabbed his arm.

"I don't know how long this will take, Nick." He understood as she raised her chin high. He leaned over and gave her shirt collar a couple of swipes to strengthen his scent. His tail which had been slightly less energetic than when he walked in perked back up. Judy caught his face as the doors began closing and wished she could be going with him.

Turning back to Ben, she found him uncomfortably close to her face as he stared at her greedily. "You two slept together, didn't you?"

Judy turned bright red as her ears shot straight up in shock. "W-WHAT?! No! Ben we haven't-we didn't-it's not-"

Ben chuckled as his friend stammered herself into a frenzy. "Well I'll totally believe whatever you say after that, Judy." His laughter stopped immediately as he saw the red-faced bunny stomp towards him. "Hold on, Judy. Wait. I didn't mean it. If you say you two didn't do anything I believe you!"

She grabbed hold of the counter and hauled herself up, bringing herself to his eye level. With an evil grin, she picked up Clawhauser's prized Gazelle snowglobe and starting tossing it between her paws. "Now I never said we didn't do _anything_ …"

* * *

Standing outside the frosted glass door, Nick hesitated, his paw raised to knock. The turmoil inside himself was almost paralyzing. Ahead of him stood a chance at a future he could be proud of. That his mom could be proud of. That Judy could be proud of. As the thought of the violet eyed doe swam into his mind, he felt his arm lose it's strength and let his paw rap on the glass.

"Enter." The gruff reply seemed quiet but it shook the glass. Nick gulped as he turned the handle and walked in. The buffalo didn't bother looking up. "Close the door. Sit." Following both instructions, Nick took a few seconds to size up his new arch-nemesis.

Focused on the case files in front of him, Chief Bogo scanned the report carefully. His eyesight had been failing him little by little over the years. He was still a top marksman at the range, easily passing his yearly qualifiers, but the tiny print of the reports was starting to cause him headaches. For the last several months he had been resorting to reading glasses. His sense of ego felt it made him look weak and he would constantly belittle himself over his new appearance. His logical side however would always counter that not being able to do his job or keep his officers safe because of his vanity is what would be the real weakness. As such, he continued to use them whenever they were needed, although he had a bad feeling he would end up needing a permanent pair of standard glasses before too long.

Finished with the file, Bogo took off his glasses and regarded the fox sitting in front of him. Based on his reputation, the silence coming from the fox spoke volumes about how serious he could really be. "Hey Buffalo-butt." Or not. "Does this interview count towards my paid academy days or not? Cause we're burning daylight here."

Gritting his teeth, the imposing Cape Buffalo eyed the small fox. "Wilde… Why are you here?"

Nick wasn't sure what he had been expecting but it certainly wasn't that. "What do you mean? You set up this meeting-"

"Why are you here?"

He began to get annoyed with the large mammal. "Carrots thought I would make a good cop so she gave you my application and you said to meet with y-"

"What Hopps _thinks_ is not my concern. Now Wilde, why are you here?"

Mulling it over, Nick realized what the buffalo was trying to say. He used these types of questions in some of his scams. Force your mark off balance and the playing field becomes yours. _If Buffalo-butt wants to play this game, I'll play to win. "_ Why do you think I'm down here, _Chief_?" He took great pleasure at the break in the Chief's scowl for a second. "I come down here, away from my luxury high-end apartment that one year's rent is higher than your mortgage, away from the cushy life of doing whatever I want, whenever I want, just to meet with a belligerent old _cow_ who, on our very first meeting, showed that he was a fox hating bigot. So tell me Chief, why do _you_ think I am here?"

Bogo's face had been enraged from the moment the fox had started talking but soon fell into a look of guilt and sadness at the mention of their first meeting. He had been unfair to the Vulpine and he knew it. He had berated himself the minute he had left that tram station in the Rainforest District. Over his many years he prided himself on his opinion of being an overly fair cop. On his ability to follow the law regardless of stereotypes. And in an instant he had undone all of his self-respect as he had lashed out at someone who didn't deserve it. "Wilde. I'm...sorry."

Nick's brow raised as he heard what was probably in the top 10 last things he would expect to hear from the buffalo. He waited as Bogo continued. "What I said was inexcusable and I apologize for it. The truth of the matter is I don't hold anything against foxes. I know several personally, none of them who portray the stereotypes other mammals try and pin on them and which I assume are what actually causes some to choose less... _honorable_ career choices." He paused as he gave Nick a questioning gaze. Nick nodded slightly, curious as to where this was going. "The reason I acted how I did was not even about you. It was about Hopps."

"Carrots? What did Carrots have to do with you treating me like that?"

"I wanted Hopps gone." Nick's jaw threatened to drop but he refused to give Bogo the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to him. "You see Wilde, the Mammal Inclusion Initiative was a political move by Lionhart. I wanted nothing to do with it. I heard about a rabbit being accepted into the Academy and I laughed. I laughed at the audacity of a tiny rabbit going up against polar bears and rhinos and expecting to amount to anything. And then when that little rabbit ended up becoming Valedictorian, I was stunned. Stunned _and_ angry. And the anger is what bothered me the most. I was angry simply because I had been wrong. I don't like being wrong. I don't like making mistakes and this mistake was about to land right in my lap as the Mayor posted her right here. Another political ploy from him. Something to boost his ratings and make my life a living hell. So I tried to force her out. The boring assignments, the dead end case of the otter, even berating her when she had done a good job catching a thief. I was so obsessed with getting rid of her that I never gave it a second thought _why_ she had become Valedictorian." Nick had slowly been losing control over his anger, his hackles slightly raised and his lips starting to curl into a snarl. _How dare he talk about my bunny like that._ The only saving grace Bogo had was the look of profound sadness across his face.

Bogo rubbed his temple with his hoof. "It wasn't personal, Wilde. I would have dismissed anyone Hopps had been with. I couldn't take the chance that I could be proven wrong again. My arrogance wouldn't allow it. And then something happened that surprised me. A fox willing to stand up to the Chief of Police and defend a bunny who, according to Hopps' reports, had been coerced into helping her in the first place. And to be honest I want to thank you for that." Now it was Nick's turn to be surprised.

"Come again?"

Bogo sighed. "If you hadn't stopped me I would have lost one of my best officers only three days into her career. So thank you."

"You're welcome," Nick said gruffly.

Bogo straightened up, his scowl firmly back in place. "Now Wilde, back to why you are here. Hopps wants you to be a cop. You obviously want you to be a cop. So why would _I_ want you to be a cop?"

Nick thought long and hard on his answer. Bogo sat patiently, something he is not known for doing, letting the young fox sort it out. Finally Nick spoke. "Do you know why I decided to help Judy?" He held up his paw when Bogo opened his mouth. "Rhetorical, big guy. At first I was forced, as you said. I hated being dragged around the world at the beck and call of a bunny scout. I tried my damnedest to shut down her investigation long before you showed up. Yet she persevered. She found clues where no one would think to look. She was by the book and unorthodox at the same time. And it was infectious. I started getting drawn into the investigation, not just dragged along. And then I had a thought I had not experienced in over 20 years. I wanted to make a difference." Nick started gesturing wildly. "I wanted to do something good with my life for once. I had an opportunity to stop skirting the law and start being a part of it. And it was all thanks to one overlooked piece of information that a wonderful and naive bunny failed to miss." Nick looked Bogo dead in the eye. "You already said it Chief. You want me to be a cop because I want to be a cop because _she_ wants me to be a cop. I want to be a better mammal and help others like I've wanted to do for two decades and had just given up on doing. I just needed a big two-pawed kick in the pants."

* * *

Nick headed down the stairwell into the main atrium after his meeting with Bogo. It hadn't gone exactly as planned but he was at least satisfied how he and the Chief had cleared the air so to speak. He was still resentful of how Judy's boss had treated her when she first started but that was water under the bridge. What mattered was how he felt about his smallest officer now and that seemed overly positive for the gruff buffalo. Looking around for his girlfriend, he saw a large group of officers surrounding the front desk where the round cheetah normally sat. In the center was an energetic bunny talking excitedly and making gestures with her paws. He came a little closer, able to hear her finishing up her story.

"-and then Nick ran through the Natural History museum carrying me and the evidence until a gigantic ram knocked us into the pit. We were completely trapped down there with no way out. Bellweather stood on the lip overlooking us and started bragging about her plan. Luckily Nick had started recording her on his phone so we got her entire confession. What we didn't expect was for her to pull out the Night Howler gun and try to shoot Nick so that he would kill me. I managed to jump in front of it-"

"And I think we'll leave it off there, Carrots," Nick interrupted. "I don't need my potential future co-workers hearing how I got beat up by a one-legged bunny rabbit." The other officers chuckled as they dispersed while Judy gave him a playful glare until she registered what he had said.

"Did you- I mean, you... _got in_?" She squealed as Nick held up his acceptance letter. "Oh Nick, this is wonderful! We should go somewhere to celebrate!"

"Work for me, Fluff. Milos?" Judy nodded vigorously as she hopped down from the desk. Her leg gave way due to the strain and she would have nearly collapsed if Nick had not swept her up. "Careful, Carrots. I'm not going to take you to the ER every week, you know?"

"Har har, Slick. Just take me to the car."

"Yes ma'am."

Watching them head out the double doors, Clawhauser let out a happy sigh behind them. "Those two are so perfect together."

A charcoal colored wolf heard Ben while he was walking by. "Yeah, they are," Wolford said. "Wonder how long it will take Nick to realize his fly was open during the meeting."


	10. Chapter 14 - Dinner and not quite dancing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I pitched an idea to Disney for Zootopia 2. Apparently they already knew about us and our 'Wildehopps' obsession. Although one guy said he was more of a Jack Savagehopps fan. He got thrown out the window by the board director who is a BIG Wildehopps shipper. So guess who's going to try and blackmail him for ownership of Zootopia? *points thumbs at self* This guy.

Like most Canids, Nick had an odd fascination with wind blowing directly into his face. The easiest way for most animals to experience this was to simply stick their head out of the window of a moving car. However, this was seen as a social faux pas for some unknown reason and therefore most mammals would refrain acting on that particular impulse. One way that a lot of foxes and wolves could get around that awkwardness however, was to travel in a car with a convertible roof, which is why the majority of convertible car sales were to members of the Canid family. There were times where Nick wished he had modified the Boss to include such a roof so that he could enjoy that experience himself, as the only time he had been able to was when riding shotgun in Finnick's van. As he and Judy traveled through Tundratown, that desire vanished in the flash of the snowfall they found themselves in.

Nick cranked the heat as the cold air found it's way through the small cracks in the door frames and the heat left the car through the glass. While Nick enjoyed cruising around the different districts, Tundratown was his least favorite due to his car not being built for winter conditions. Luckily for the couple, Nick had spent plenty of time driving in white-out conditions and was an expert on handling the roads. He deftly maneuvered them around the snowfalls as they made their way towards the center of the district. Taking a turn sharply, he let the tires glide into a drift across the ice, relishing in the squeak of excitement from the bunny. The last time Judy had been here had been a brief one filled with boring police work and a quick trip to a mob boss's house. Not exactly a positive memory building experience. He hoped to change all that as they drove past the various ice rinks and neon-lit stores. He watched with undisguised happiness as her eyes widened at the sight of the buildings carved from ice. Her innocence in regards to the city, which always seemed like a hindrance to Nick, was what allowed her to see the wonders that he took for granted every day. He tried to see through her eyes, to view the city through the almost childlike fascination the young bunny had. After years of dreaming about the city she now called home, Judy had spent very little time allowing herself to take in the sights of Zootopia. Her job always restricted her time and energy. The few parts of the city she did get to see were mired down in acts of police work. Riots and protests had been the main focus of that work after the Missing Mammals case where she had blundered disastrously, causing untold pain and strife throughout predator and prey relations. Now that she had time to herself, she wanted to visit everywhere with Nick before she would be back on patrols and him at the Academy.

Glancing over at her fox, Judy ran her gaze over his Vulpine form. He had an overly lean form for a fox, probably due to his lifestyle and diet. She knew the Academy would change all that though. The physical exertion would add a great amount of muscle to his thin physique. Judy liked the way he looked now but also couldn't help but picture him being a bit more built. She felt a fresh wave of arousal as she subconsciously unbuckled herself to slide across the seat. Pressing herself to his side, she let his scent surround her once more. It hadn't been very long since she had held him close, but even a momentary break from him would start to make her feel anxious. It was a disconcerting change to what would normally happen to a bunny around a fox. The closer she was to him, the safer she felt which went against all that nature had planned for their species. _Screw nature. I love this fox and no one can have him but me._ Looking up at his face, Judy struggled with her next words. "Nick?"

"Yeah Carrots?"

"Before..." Judy paused for a second. "Before I go back to work and you head off to the Academy, do you, um, want to go visit Bunnyburrow with me?" she asked hesitantly, unsure of what his answer might be.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but an immediate pleased grin wasn't on the top of the list. "I'd love to, Carrots."

"Really?"

"Really." he laughed at the look of confusion on her face. "Why would it shock you that I would like to see where my bunny love grew up?" Judy couldn't contain the smile that swept across her mouth and the pinking of her ears as he said 'my bunny love.' "Today's Thursday so how about we go Saturday? Stay for the weekend?"

Judy clapped her hands together excitedly. "That would be wonderful! I'll call my mom and tell her tonight after dinner." Nick smiled at how happy she was by simply agreeing to visit her childhood home. "I can't wait to show you Bunnyburrow. We can go look at the fields, it's probably harvest time so we won't be able to walk through the carrot patches, but there's the corn maze at the Lapins next door. Oh and the blueberries should be ripening about now. You should see the blueberry bushes in the fall. They become so red you would think they glowed. I want you to meet my friends and all my siblings, too-" Judy continued to ramble on about life in Bunnyburrow and the places they were going to go see. Nick just sat and listened to her beautiful voice, amused by how many places and things she expected to fit into a day and a half. His inner self began chuckling a little at her enthusiasm before being hit with a sobering thought. _What if that's how bunnies do it? Can she really drag me to every place in that amount of time? Aw hell. I'm gonna be dead before the Academy even starts._

* * *

Finally reaching Milos' restaurant, Nick walked around the car to hold open Judy's door for her. "My my, such a gentlefox," she teased.

"I've been known to surprise every now and then," he countered.

She glanced down at his hips before looking back up and staring into his eyes. "I remember," she replied huskily. Nick immediately flushed with embarrassment but, like most males would, also a small amount of pride. Judy started walking ahead of Nick before he stopped her.

"Carrots, your leg."

Judy waved his concerns away with her paw. "I feel fine, Nick. Besides, the doctor said I would need to start moving around more to get it conditioned again." Nick gave her a look that said he disapproved but did not push the matter any further. They strolled casually up the stairs, joining the small crowd waiting at the entrance. It was surprisingly busy for an early Thursday night. Nick and Judy glanced at each other both wondering if they would be able to get a table. After a few minutes of patiently waiting, they made it through the front doors and were only a few spots behind other couples when they heard it would be a 45 minute wait for a table. Judy turned to Nick and stroked his arm. "Do you want to wait? I know how much you like coming here."

Nick sighed, feeling a bit defeated. "Nah, it's alright Carrots. I know you're hungry. Heck, I know both of us are. We'll come back another d-"

"UNCLE NICKY!" Both adults turned to see a young badger cub charging full speed at the red fox. With a slight 'Oomph', Nick rocked backward with the force from the collision. Looking down, he barely recognized the young cub that he had seen almost every day for years.

"Helena? Is that you? My god, you've gotten so big!" Nick kneeled down to give the little girl a big hug. "I hear you've got a big recital coming up." She nodded enthusiastically. "Are you excited?"

She clapped her hands while smiling widely. Nick noticed a small gap where one of her teeth had fallen out and had yet to grow back in giving her mouth a slightly lopsided look. "Yeah! I even get to do a solo!"

"Really? That's wonderful."

The young girl looked down and dug her toes into the floor. "Well, technically it's a duo."

Nick chuckled. "That's still wonderful, Helena." He looked behind him and grasped Judy's paw, bringing her forward." Hey I want you to meet my friend, Judy Hopps."

"Hi Helena," Judy reached her paw forward as the young cub moved to hide behind Nick. A bit concerned, Judy looked over at Nick.

"Guess she still hasn't gotten out of her shy phase." Nick shrugged, unsure what to do. "Sorry Carrots."

"Carrots?" came a muffled voice from somewhere behind Nick. Helena popped her head out from around him. "I thought you said her name was Judy."

Nick laughed. "Too right you are, Helena. 'Carrots' is my nickname I call her."

She eyed the pair suspiciously. "Daddy says you two are boyfriend and girlfriend."

Nick rubbed the girl's head. "Are we? Why yes, yes we are. Your daddy is very smart, but don't tell him I said that."

"Too late, Nicky my boy!" Nick let out a groan as he felt a paw slap him on the back. He turned to see Milos standing next to him, an overly wide grin across his muzzle.

"I'm never going to hear the end of that, am I?"

The boar laughed. "Not on your life, Nicky. I'm gonna have it engraved on a plaque and hang it above the door frame." Judy giggled causing Milos to turn his gaze towards her. "Welcome, Miss Judy! It's so good to see you back. Parents not here tonight?"

"No. They had to go back home. We'll be going to visit them in a couple days though."

Milos glanced over at the tod. "Doing things a bit backward, eh Nicky?" He jabbed him in the side with his elbow. "Aren't you supposed to take the lady out _before_ you meet her parents? Parents, then date, then parents again. You always were a strange one, Nicky."

"You let a fox sleep in the storage room and _I'm_ the strange one?" Nick shook his head at the older badger. "For shame, Milos."

Laughing, Milos clapped his arm around the fox's shoulder. "So you two here for dinner?"

"Yes," piped up Judy. "We see you're pretty busy tonight though so maybe we can wait until a spot opens or did you still want to go somewhere else, Nick?"

Before Nick could answer, Milos shook his head. "No no, that will not do. Nicky, your table upstairs is free. Take your lady friend up there and we'll get some menus to you."

"Are you sure?" Nick began, but the badger had already started walking away. Nick turned to Judy and shrugged. "Guess we're going up. Bye Helena. I hope you have fun at your recital."

"Bye Uncle Nicky. I'll have mommy video tape it and send it to you." The young cub skipped back to her table littered with homework and empty milkshakes.

* * *

Reclining back in the chair, the gray bunny admired the skyline view from their spot on the roof. Judy felt she could come here every day for the rest of her life and never get used to the beauty she was surrounded by. She could not imagine how long and how much effort Nick had put into making the wonderful patio table they were currently sitting at. Working with plants as often as she had, she knew those flowers and rose bushes alone would have taken several days to plant properly. The brick walkways in between the rows of flowers would have consumed another week of the Vulpine's time. And the koi pond? Without any sort of experience in constructing something that complex, Judy could not comprehend the amount of patience Nick must have used to make it. Combine that with the affection he had shown interacting with the badger cub all served to show her a more complicated facet of the fox she loved. _How did I not know all this before? What more is hidden within this mammal that could cause me to love him even more? Even if he had never stood up for me or forgiven me, I could easily find myself falling in love with him.  
_

Her fox had been mostly silent as they ate their dinner. He, a marinated wild salmon. Her, a vegetarian pot pie made with fresh vegetables. She could tell he was mulling things over but wasn't quite ready to voice it. She sat patiently, enjoying her meal while occasionally glancing up into his handsome face. The sight of him eating meat should have shocked her. A predator eating what used to be a living animal in front of his natural prey seemed almost taboo, yet she felt no fear. No disgust. In fact she really felt nothing at all beyond a mild arousal at watching his canines flash with each bite. Even though she wouldn't change a thing, she still couldn't help but wonder why she was so attracted to what should be the one of her greatest fears, especially due to what happened to her as a kid. Her paw reached up and casually stroked her cheek, feeling the slight raised flesh of the scars hidden beneath her fur. Why was it one fox should cause her terrible fear and another cause her overwhelming love? Was love really as blind as they say? Does a species really matter at all? Lost in her own thoughts she had failed to notice Nick now staring at her, a smirk over his muzzle as he watched the twitching nose of the bunny in front of him. Knowing she was lost in thought, he got up from his spot and pulled one of the other chairs closer to her. Lifting her from her seat, he listened to the sharp 'eep' that came from the young doe and chuckled before settling her in his lap. Ignoring her stammered cries, Nick dragged her pot pie closer and spooned a small amount, bringing it to her lips. Judy hesitated but let her mouth open to accept the bite of food he was offering her. Putting on a facade of irritation by his actions, she was secretly pleased by the attention he was giving her.

After a few more bites, Nick set aside the spoon and let his bunny curl up on his chest. Her paws kneaded his chest as she made herself comfortable. "So Nick. What's been on your mind? You were quieter than normal tonight and i could tell something was bugging you."

Nick took his time answering her. "What's the Academy like, Carrots?" Judy's looked up at him in mild shock.

"That's what you've been apprehensive about tonight? You could have asked me at any time."

"I know. But now with being under a time constraint, it just seems more real."

Her eyes narrowing, Judy voiced her concern by his statement. "What do you mean 'time constraint,' Nick?"

The red fox turned his head, unwilling to look her directly in the eyes. "Three weeks."

A look flashed across her face as if he had struck her. _Three weeks? We've only had such a small time together and now it's going to be cut short even more?_ She began to get frantic at the implications. _No more sleeping in the same bed. No more showering together. What about him? I need Nick!_ Hyperventilating, she clawed at his chest as if desperate to cling to him. Sensing her increased panic levels, Nick slowly stroked her ears, whispering into them. "Carrots. I've got you. You don't need to be afraid, okay? I'm right here. Breathe, Carrots. Just breathe." The sound of her fox soothed her as she filled her nose with his scent. The relief washing over her, she calmed her movements and settled herself back down allowing the comfort of his arms encircling her to fill her with peace and contentment. "That's it. There you go. No reason to be afraid, love. We're going to visit the Academy tomorrow, okay? Both of us together."

Judy pulled away to look into her fox's eyes. "Why do we need to go there?"

Nick continued stroking her ears as he leaned down and gave her a small kiss. "We need to meet with the instructor there. A Major...Friedkin I think? To talk about our unique circumstances."

A pair of rabbit ears shot up so suddenly they bopped Nick on the nose. "Ursula?" Judy started jumping around on Nick's lap. "Oh I can't wait to see her again."

"Didn't she laugh at you for falling into a toilet?"

She cringed at that memory. "I'm never telling you anything ever again. Besides, she just likes to motivate everyone to do their best, even if it's unorthodox how she goes about doing so."

She felt a pair of emerald eyes scrutinizing her as she refused to meet their gaze. "Mmhmm. Well anyways, Bogo wants us to meet with her tomorrow to discuss what is needed by us so that I can attend the Academy while you can work safely."

"And you only felt like mentioning this now because...?"

"I got sidetracked. Don't worry about it, Fluff."

Judy growled at the fox. "Uh-huh. So what _else_ did Bogo say that you failed to tell me?" She enjoyed the way her fox's eyes shifted back and forth as if trying to find a way to escape. Determining there was none, Nick sighed heavily.

"He may or may not have told me that we would be guaranteed partners due to your medical condition," Judy looked thrilled before he continued, "but only if I make top 3 or better. If I don't, I won't be allowed to work for the ZPD in the field." Judy's face flushed with anger. He felt her claws scrape his skin and he let out a small yip.

"Oh, I'm sorry Nick. I didn't mean to- I just-" she growled loudly, her teeth gnashing together. "It makes me so mad! How could they do that to you? They can't just stick you behind a desk for failing to make the top 3!"

"Carrots, calm down." He resumed stroking her ears, feeling her stiffen. She was still very upset. Her superior was being unreasonable and she couldn't stand the thought of _her_ _fox_ being mistreated like that. Eventually his attention to her ears resulted in a relaxation of all of her muscles, the bunny now collapsing onto his chest. "There there, Carrots. That feels better doesn't it?" She nodded as best as she could with her face pressed into his chest. "I'm okay with it. First, it gives me a reason to beat the rest of the cadets and prove a _fox_ can be just as good as anyone else. Second, it allows me to be with you. And third, it makes sure that the ZPD has the best on the streets. If I don't make the top 3, that means I'm not what the precinct needs in a Beat Cop and I'm okay with that. I can still do other things and work at the ZPD with you. Ooh! I know! I'll go undercover as a street hustler making $200 a day. I think I can make that work."

Judy began laughing, the sound muffled by his fur. "You aren't allowed to tell me bad news like this anymore. I can't stay mad while you're stroking my ears. It's not fair."

"Life isn't fair, Fluff. Now, let's pay up here and head on home."

"Okay, but you're paying. I'm technically still unemployed and you never settled with the IRS." Grumbling, Nick pulled out his wallet and removed a few large bills.

* * *

For residents on the 26th floor of the Green Meadows luxury apartments, most nights were fairly calm. There was an occasional loud guest or a sports party that would go over what many considered a 'reasonable' noise level. However the tenants all knew that these were isolated incidents and therefore were not worth bringing up to each other. After all, one never knew when it would be their guest or their party that might get a bit too loud. When it came to the resident of apartment 2607, that unspoken agreement did not apply. The red fox that lived on their floor was unique. As far as anyone else could tell, the fox lived alone. He rarely had visitors, if ever. He was always quiet, always courteous, and never failed to help one of his neighbors if they asked. Nothing had ever seemed odd about the fellow until a few days ago, when he had carried a certain young bunny to his apartment. A certain young bunny that currently was on the fox's back, her arms wrapped his neck.

"I though you said your leg was fine, Fluff?"

"It was. It just started hurting."

"Carrots?"

"Yes Nick?"

"There's nothing wrong with your leg, is there?"

"Nope."

Chuckling, Nick unceremoniously dropped her to the carpet of the hallway as he dragged his key out to unlock the door. Out of the corner of his eye, Nick noticed the door to his neighbor across the hall start to open. The age-lined face of a graying female otter came into view as she cautiously poked her head out into the hallway. Seeing the red fox from across the hall, a soft smile broke out onto her face. "Nicholas. How are you tonight darling?"

"I'm doing just fine, Mrs. Rivers. And how are you this evening?"

"Well, I can't lie. I've been better," the older otter sighed, her worn face seeming all the more tired.

Judy hopped over to the older mammal. "Is there something wrong, Miss? Is there something we can do to help?" Nick started laughing, leading Judy to cast him an annoyed glare which turned into confusion when the otter started laughing as well.

"I like her, Nicholas. She's very kind. Is she your girlfriend?" She huffed as Nick nodded. Turning to Judy she put on her best 'mothering' tone. "You could do so much better, dear."

"Probably," grinned the young doe. She wrapped her arms around Nick's and turned her gaze upwards to meet his eyes. "But I don't want to."

"Oh she's definitely a keeper, Nicholas. Anyway I'm sorry to have upset you, dear. It's a running joke between myself and Nicholas. I like to spend my free time pretending I'm back in my twenties even if my hip disagrees." She turned back to Nick. "Before I forget again, thank you for helping me with the sink last week. I keep meaning to tell you but my memory isn't what it used to be."

"Not a problem Mrs. Rivers. Just let me know if it starts acting up again."

"I certainly will. Goodnight dearies," she waved as she went back into her apartment.

"Night Mrs. Rivers," they said in unison. Turning back to their own door, Nick led them inside.

As soon as they crossed the threshold, an eager bunny hopped up into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. "You're so much more than I thought you were, Nick." She brought her lips close to his and held as she waited for him to make the next move. Nick stood there, sorely tempted to tease the waiting doe before his own resolve snapped and carried him forward into her lips. It took only a few seconds before she let her mouth slide open and her tongue to dart forth, licking at his muzzle until he too let his lips part. Their tongues slid against each other before joining in a dance that left them each panting with their arousal. Moving towards the living room, the tod carried his beloved towards one of the couches where they could continue showering each other with affection in a more comfortable setting. So focused was he on combating his bunny's lips with his own that he failed to notice where he was stepping, his undoing coming as his foot slipped on the stairs that led into the living area. His back slamming into the floor left him winded, his lungs gasping for the blessed air his body was denying him. The pain radiated along his spine, sharp spasms flitting along the small of his back.

"Oh my gosh! Nick, are you okay?" The words from her lips never made it to the Vulpine's prone form on the floor, his pain distracting him from everything around him. Judy looked on in horror as Nick's breathing became shallower as he pressed a paw to his side. "Nick! Do I-should I call an ambulance?"

"No." Nick's answer could barely be heard as he gasped. "I just...need a...minute..." Judy lay by his side and held him in her arms as he tried to recover from the fall. After a few minutes, his breathing returned to normal, relieving the slightly panicked bunny at his side. "Guess that ruined the mood a bit, huh Carrots?" She let out a nervous giggle as he extricated his limbs from hers. "I'm gonna go take some aspirin and then head to the shower. Some hot water will be good on my back after that. Will you be okay?

"Yeah, I should be fine. I think I'll call my mom and tell her about Saturday."

"Sounds like a plan, Fluff." Leaning down, he gave her a kiss between her ears, watching as she turned pink with pleasure. Walking into the kitchen, he snagged a glass and filled it with water from the tap. He rummaged around one of the cabinets before finding a small white bottle filled with generic tablets. Popping two in his mouth, he took a big swig from his glass before heading for the bathroom door.

Judy brought out her phone and sat there debating whether or not to call her mother. She considered going to Nick instead. He might need her after that fall. _He hadn't seemed himself as he was walking away. I hope he's not too badly hurt._ Her finger hovering over the 'call' icon, she nearly abandoned her plan so that she could go be with Nick but ultimately she needed to talk to her mother. She pressed the icon and sat back as the phone rang. She didn't need to wait for long as the call was picked up immediately. Judy rolled her eyes at how eager her mother appeared when answering the phone. She could count on one paw how many times the phone rang past two whenever she would call her parents.

"Judy! Hi bun-bun!" Judy had to stop herself from grimacing at the horrid nickname. Somewhere around third grade her mother decided that it fit her daughter and it had stayed that was for another decade and a half. _Oh well, at least it's better than-_

"Hey Jude the Dude!" _Oh goddammit._

"Hi mom, hi dad." She waved at her parents as she kept a fake smile plastered on her face. Right now she wanted more than anything to be in there with Nick. He was probably all soaped up by now. His fur all wet and sleek, letting his muscles show through his normally thick russet coat. She could just imagine how his paws would feel on her thin fur, his claws raking down her fro-

"Honey, are you okay?" Judy was kicked from her daydream as she awkwardly tried to cover up why she had a dreamy look in her eye and her mouth beginning to drool slightly.

"Yeah, I'm fine mom. Umm, I have some good news." Bonnie and Stu leaned in a bit closer, as if they expected Judy to somehow leap through the screen. "I'm coming to Bunnyburrow for the weekend."

"Oh that's wonderful honey," Bonnie glowed as Stu jumped up and down in the background. Bonnie cast a sharp glance at her husband who was currently making a fool out of himself. "Nick's coming too, I imagine." At this Stu's jumping came to a quick halt. He and Nick had hit it off last time they were together but it was obvious he still had some mixed feelings about the tod.

"Yes he is. Oh and mom? You'll need to fix up the _large_ guest room." Bonnie's eyes widened a bit whereas Stu's nearly bugged out of his head. "Now don't start that you two. We aren't doing that. Nick won't even consider it," she said bitterly. "But it's the only way I can sleep so it's necessary unless you want a sleep deprived 'Jude the Dude' around for two days."

Stu looked like he was about to take that option over the idea of a fox sleeping in his daughter's bed but Bonnie beat him to the punch. "Don't worry hon. I'll take care of it . We'll see you this weekend!"

"Bye mom. Bye dad." Hanging up the call, she tossed her phone onto the couch and sat back breathing a sigh of relief. _That went better than expected._ Standing, she started heading down the hall. _Now then, for the rest of my evening..._

* * *

A welcoming surge of hot water rained onto the Vulpine's back, his recent injuries crying out in relief as the heat spread across his muscles. He was glad Judy had not been hurt but he wished he had been spared as well. His old body could only take so much bruising. A wave of cold air suddenly hit his aching back. Without bothering to turn around, he continued washing the shampoo from his chest he felt soft, small paws wrap around his waist, as he allowed himself to sigh at her touch. The hold she had on his waist suddenly increased in pressure to one side, allowing her to turn him until he was facing her. He watched as the beautiful young doe grasped the thick fur running over his chest before sliding them down along his belly. Meeting her gaze, he saw lust burning brightly from within. He gasped as her wandering paws ran over his sheath, causing a shudder of excitement wash over him. Feeling himself start to lengthen, he looked at her with hunger. Her strong paws were now stroking him as she looked down at him and licked her lips.

"I don't suppose I have a choice in this, do I?"

"Of course you have a choice, sweetie," she smiled as she slid down to her knees. "I just don't care what it is."


	11. Chapter 15 - Pleasure and perils

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So many views, so many reviews, so many people following me! Sounds sort of creepy. Creepily AWESOME! Seriously you guys rock.
> 
> Disclaimer: I tried to sneak in through the basement to kidnap the board chairman in order to trade for ownership of Zootopia but I took a wrong turn and found myself locked in a dungeon of horrors, AKA the records room. Wait a minute, this seems really familiar...

One of the few things that failed to evolve over the thousands of years since they were savages was that all mammals had different morning routines from each other. Adapting to a strictly universal clock had been one of the greatest challenges to overcome physically for the majority of the population. The day commonly was accepted as beginning with sunrise and ending when the moon was high in the night sky. However, not all animals were able to make a steady transition. The two greatest examples of a split routine currently laid together in a large, warm bed, all concerns of the outside world forgotten for the moment.

The unwelcome golden rays of the sun creeping over the horizon signaled the end of their blissful sleep as the smaller of the two mammals began to waken, her biological clock signaling the end of another restful slumber and the start of something new and adventurous. The lids of her eyes slowly opened as they did every morning, revealing a pair of bright, violet orbs ready to accept the challenges and opportunities of the new day. She had always been a morning doe. With each new sunrise there came a chance at adventure and wonder. She had spent her entire life in pursuit of one grand dream, one where she strived to make a difference in the chaos of the world around her. Recently, that dream seemed to have taken a backseat to a stronger desire, one that she feared was causing her to lose her sense of self.

Rolling over, she snuggled into the side of a large russet furred mammal next to her. She couldn't help but stare at him, her eyes wandering over his long muzzle, his lips covering up the sharp fangs that she knew were in there. She placed her paw onto his chest and watched as it rose and fell with each breath he drew. She giggled silently as he let out a small snore, his mouth falling open, his tongue now hanging loosely over the side of his cheek. Using her small, dainty claws, she lightly scratched along his chest, pushing past the fur to his skin causing him to chuckle in his sleep, a dopey grin forming on his muzzle. Knowing he would not waken for another couple of hours if left to his own devices, the young doe stretched her nimble limbs as best as she was able and used her strong legs to push herself further up his naked body. After the events over the past several days, they decided there really was nothing left to hide from one another and so they began to sleep as they felt the most comfortable doing. This was greatly appreciated by the small bunny as it gave her a much sought after contact with the Vulpine, a desire that seemed to be strengthening more each day which both concerned and delighted her, the combination of which being rather frightening considering the danger it carried. Crawling her way onto his bare chest, she propped her head up in her paws, stared at her sleeping fox and waited...

Sunrise for any nocturnal mammal was an ungodly hour. Evolution had set them on a path of being mammals of the night and so had adapted their eyes to work in the beams of moonlight rather than rays of sun. Because of this, their eyes were much more sensitive to bright sunlight than others, usually resulting in terrible headaches for any nocturnal mammal caught outside during daylight without proper protection. With the way the world worked, many nighttime mammals had taken measures to adapt to working during the day. Many chose to wear sunglasses that filtered out most of the harsher rays. Newer methods had begun appearing on the market in recent years, the most popular of which utilizing specialized contact lenses. They were a big hit with those working in offices where sunglasses or other eye wear would seem unprofessional. However the one thing that was needed by all was caffeine. Coffee was joked to have replaced the blood of every nocturnal mammal in Zootopia and some days it almost seemed believable. For one of these mammals to wake up at such an hour, it would require something profound to sway them out of their slumber. Alarms would usually be silenced even for the most dedicated of workers. For Nicholas Wilde, the sight he beheld as he opened his vibrant green eyes was of a young, beautiful doe laying naked on his chest.

"Mmm, good morning Carrots." Yawning widely, Nick stretched his own limbs, attempting to shake off the tiredness in his body. While lacking the necessary caffeine he needed to fully jump start himself, the feeling of his bunny laid out on top of him was more than enough to wake his body from it's slumber.

"Good morning, sweetie," the doe purred. She used her legs to slide her body up his chest until they were eye-to-eye. Lowering herself down, she brought her lips to his as their eyes closed, relishing in the soft intimate contact. Finishing the short kiss, Judy pulled back and stared into his eyes. The unspoken desire passed between them and they pressed their lips together once more. What began as a delicate, loving embrace soon became more as they felt themselves slipping into a heat of passion. Nick reached his large paw up to cup her cheek while adding more pressure behind his muzzle, almost desperate to possess her lips with his own. Judy for her part wrapped both of her tiny paws around the back of his neck, hauling him straight into her. The fox felt his lips part, his tongue darting out to lick those of his bunny love. Gratefully, he felt her surrender to his advances, her tongue now sliding out from between her own parted lips. The spark that washed over them when their tongues finally met sent shivers down their spines leaving their fur standing on end.

Nick felt his blood begin to boil as a surge of arousal overwhelmed him. Clasping the young bunny to his chest, he rolled them both over, pinning her small form beneath him. Letting loose a low growl, he snapped at her playfully, his fangs coming within inches of her delicate nose. Half expecting it to twitch in fear, Nick was overjoyed to see her shudder with a look of lust in her beautiful lavender eyes. Licking her own lips, she grabbed his ears and hauled his to meet them. The battle for dominance began anew as their tongues danced together. His paws traced every curve in her feminine body, letting them roam as his imagination demanded. He could feel her arch into his touch, her need for him all too evident. As he slid his lips from hers, she let out a cry of protest only to be silenced as the large fox pressed his muzzle into her neck and trailed light kisses over her shoulder and down her arm before retracing his motions and continuing to the other side. "Nick...mmm...We need-ungh that feels so gooood...we have to-ohhhh...stop."

"You don't sound too convinced," came the reply as he grazed his teeth along base of her neck, pleased by the shudder than ran throughout her body. She was putty in his paws and they both knew it. Anything he wanted from her, he could have with the right words and a few small licks.

"I'm not-oh god Nick." She began to pant with the need growing inside her. "We still have to...get ready...nngh...how do you do this to me?" She clasped her paws around his neck and hauled him back to her chest, letting herself indulge in the attention he was providing her heated body. "We have to stop, Nick."

"I camph eksakly do hhat wiff yu pwessing my fase down like hhis." Nick's chuckle vibrated against the bunny's flushed chest and she moaned in delight.

"Just be quiet and do what you want with me." She threw her head back as he let his tongue loll out from his mouth and run along her bare fur. Judy had been unprepared for how her little affection ambush had fallen so far out of her control with a few well placed kisses and licks. She was his to use as he saw fit and she loved it. Rather than take advantage of her, he showered her with affection and love, the long, slow strokes of his tongue along her fur causing her to moan with need. Her back arched into every kiss along her torso, feeling a quiver in her loins as they trailed down her body until stopping right above her hips. She yearned for him to continue, her paws trying to gently push his head further down her body, her core demanding release. She groaned with frustration as he slowly made his way back up, trailing soft kisses along the white fur of her belly.

His mouth eventually reaching her ears, he nuzzled and nipped at them until they were fully alert and perked upright. He leaned in close to whisper softly to her, "Don't worry, Carrots. I'm not going to leave you... _wanting_." With that final word, he thrust his paw up against her sex and pushed softly. She gasped at the sudden contact, her hips moving of their own volition as they pushed back into his touch. Applying light pressure, he began circling his paw allowing the feel of him to stimulate every part of the outside of her mound. With each rotation, his pad would brush against the small nub at the top of where her fold began, and a strangled cry would leave the young bunny as the sensations began to overtake her. The fox knew it wouldn't be long and indeed, with the the next pass around he felt the slickness of her sex increase, coating his paw in her essence. Extending his digit, he let his paw glide around until he was directly at her opening and let the slow motion of his paw thrust his digit inside of her. The gasp from Judy was muffled as Nick chose that moment to lock his lips to hers, his tongue now seeking entrance into her mouth. Acceptance was given though Judy was too far gone to recognize the sensation of their tongues swirling around each other. She could only focus on the slow thrust of his digit into her, driving her passion to soaring levels. The foreplay from earlier was wreaking havoc with her system as he continued to abuse her sex, his stimulations becoming rougher with each plunge he took into her. She was quickly nearing her release when she felt his other paw circle around behind her head and lightly grab her ears. Opening her eyes, she saw a mischievous glint in the lust filled eyes of her lover before he yanked on her ears. The pain felt surprisingly good as she was forced to tip her head back. A glint of sharp fangs sent a thrill throughout her body as she realized what he planned to do moments before he dove his jaw down to lock them around her unprotected neck. The feel of the canines pressing into her flesh drove her over the edge, the inside of her sex clamping down on the digit of the fox. He felt the heat from her grow as a spasm ripped through the little bunny's form, a small shriek piercing the air.

Her body collapsing, Judy was afraid to move for fear of ruining the feeling of bliss she was experiencing. She could barely acknowledge the heavier mass of her beloved fox snuggling into her, his tongue licking her neck where the marks from his teeth were clearly visible. Struggling to stay awake, she moved her paws down his torso. "Do we have time for you?" she asked huskily.

He chuckled, almost sadly. "'Fraid not, Carrots. Although with what you did to me last night I'm not too heartbroken by it. We do need to get ready though."

Judy groaned and covered her face with his pillow. "5 more minutes. After that whole thing," she twirled her paw, "I don't think I can stand that long anyway."

"Alright, I'll go get breakfast started. But only 5, agreed?" Judy nodded back as she yanked the covers back over her head. Nick let out another chuckle as he stood and stretched, a few joints cracking in protest as they loosened up for the day. Heading out into the kitchen, he looked around for a mixing bowl, eventually finding it in the side cabinet. He didn't really feel up to making an elaborate breakfast nor did they really have the time after their lengthy activities in the bedroom so he did one of the few things he loathed doing in regards to food and pulled out a box of pre-made pancake mix. Quickly stirring in an egg and some vegetable oil, he whisked up the batter and pulled out a waffle maker from under the counter. Pouring in the mixed batter, Nick set it to 'low' to ensure a crisped edge to their breakfast. Pulling out some blueberries, he laid the carton on the counter as he flipped the waffles. The smell started to permeate the room and he breathed in the aroma, his mouth watering at the idea of cutting into a fresh stack of waffles with blueberry topping. Turning back to the counter, he finished the current stack and started up the next. Looking at the clock, he decided Judy had enjoyed enough of a sleep-in and headed stealthily back towards the bedroom.

The bunny was wrapped up in the blanket as he knew she would be. Though he would never say it out loud for fear of being pummeled, he thought she looked absolutely adorable like that. Snaking his paw down to the bottom of the blanket, he gave it a few experimental tugs to see if she would react. Her own paws tightened around the covers trying to pull them back up. Nick's strength was more than her unconscious mind could compete with and her naked form was slowly revealed to him, his eyes drawn to every luscious curve of her body. He would never have admired a rabbit's body until he had met Judy but he knew that no one would ever fill him with longing like she could. Her wide hips were made for his paws to grab and haul towards him. Her toned abs revealed a strength that showed she was more than capable of keeping up with his desires. Her strong legs could keep her wrapped around his, drawing them closer together than any other mammals could hope to be. He would never again be able to view any mammal in the way he saw his bunny. He felt his desire growing inside him, his lust nearly overwhelming him. Before he could rationalize what he was feeling, he had already joined her on the bed, his long tongue dragging across her chest. _Stupid stupid stupid. You don't have time for this._ His inner voice was ignored as he once again swept his tongue across her naked body, this time up along her neck.

"If you don't stop," a sleep addled voice came. "I'm gonna make you finish. Regardless of the time." Forcing himself to halt his advances, Nick let his tongue drag along her ear for one last taste of her.

"Sorry. I couldn't help it. You just looked so good. I made breakfast. Second batch of waffles should be done." he started to clamber off the bed until a small paw reached up and grabbed his muzzle.

"Hey. What did I say about apologizing when making me feel good?" Judy's voice was not harsh, nor loud. She spoke softly and comfortingly. "I love you, you dumb fox." She hopped out of bed and grabbed him around the neck, launching herself onto his back. "Now forward, to breakfast!" Chuckling, Nick walked them out like she was riding a horse.

* * *

After scarfing down two full stacks of pancakes, leaving a stunned Nick in her wake, Judy went to take a quick shower which Nick eventually joined her in under the pretense of wanting to save time. In reality the pair had been taking every shower together both for the Bond's sake but also because they enjoyed each other's intimate company so much. Unfortunately for Nick, the hot water plus their naked bodies pressed together in a small enclosed space led Judy to having less than proper ideas and he would routinely have to fight off her advances. At the end of their communal shower, a very frustrated bunny emerged, her disposition stormy at best. She couldn't understand why he continued to fight her so often. Was being on schedule more important to him than the pleasure she was willingly offering? Maybe it had something do with him being a fox. Tonight she would do some further research into fox mating habits to see if she could find out what makes him tick. 'Further' research because prior to their ordeal just one week ago she had been trying to learn anything and everything she could about foxes to try and win him back. Due to her 'feelings' about the older Vulpine, her intended research would often lead towards other aspects of foxes including videos she had had to hide from her siblings and mother.

Still feeling awkward from the repeated sexual advances from her, Nick got dressed in silence, unsure how to broach the subject. Out of respect, Judy also dressed in silence, letting her fox collect his thoughts. If he didn't let her in on his own, then she would follow through on trying to find out why he was so hesitant to be with her. She walked silently up behind him, her eyes downcast in nervousness. She reached up her paw to stroke his arm, her touch only startling him a little, causing him to unconsciously let a shiver run through him. Turning towards her, he gave her a soft smile to let her know she had done nothing wrong. Flinging her paws wide, Judy embraced him, snuggling her face into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her in return. Tipping back, she gazed up at him through watering eyes, grateful that he could still love her. She lifted her head allowing him access to her neck so that he could spread his scent to her body. Leaning down, he made several passes onto the collar her shirt before nipping playfully at her neck sending a tremor through her as her arousal peaked. Seeing him turn away, her confusion mounted. How could he shrug off her advances earlier but now make a move that would only start a process that, unfulfilled, would cause her trouble throughout the day. _He might be as ignorant in knowledge about bunnies and their sex drives as I am about foxes. We need to have a chat later._

* * *

_"_ So this is the infamous Police Academy." Nick sniffed putting on a bored face. "Doesn't look so tough to me."

"Nick?"

"Yes Carrots?"

"This is the front courtyard. Where you park the car. The course and training yards are out back." She smirked as his overconfident face slumped a little.

"Ah."

"C'mon. We're early so I'll show you around." Grabbing the fox's paw, Judy led him around the side of the main campus building, a large and imposing structure designed to portray the bringing of order to chaos. Judy simply remembered it as the place where she would be lucky to ever get served her meals as they routinely failed to notice the smaller sized cadet. Eventually she had resorted to building herself a launching stand that she could use to propel herself onto the tray guard, forcing the kitchen staff to acknowledge her presence. She figured that she would be reprimanded the first day. Not only had she never been given one, but she was quite sure she saw Major Friedkin, her polar bear instructor, smile whenever she would bully the servers into giving her her fair share. It was not the only time she would catch the Major trying to hide some form of admiration of the young cadet. First impressions are not the only impressions you can ever make, as Judy had shown almost everyone, including her fox lover next to her.

Arriving behind the campus building, Nick got his first look at the obstacle course each cadet must beat consistently in order to advance. "Holy shit. You did this?" Judy beamed up at him, remembering the horrible trials she had failed more often than not before her training had paid off. The echoes of 'You're dead' would still sometimes haunt her dreams after a particularly bad day. She watched him closely, looking for signs of apprehension at certain obstacles to see which ones she should help train him for ahead of admission. Of particular interest, she noted his face blanching at the Ice Wall which was understandable as canines are not known for their climbing abilities. Another was the Rainforest simulated crossing which she knew was related to their epsidoe with the savage jaguar, Mister Manchas. He seemed to view the sandstorm obstacle and the mud pits with boredom, no doubt having experienced things of that nature while living on the streets and hustling across the city. Now they just needed to meet wi- "You're dead, fluff-butt!"

The pair spun around to see a smiling polar bear walking towards them. "Ursula!" Judy yelled as she skipped towards the massive trainer. "It's so good to see you."

"What have you been up to, fuzzy bunny? I saw that whole deal on the missing mammals case and I thought 'that's my bunny-bumpkins.' And the whole Nighthowler case as well. You moved up a long way from that little cadet I found thrashing around in a toilet." Ursula gave her a toothy grin.

Judy turned beet red at the mention of the worst incident she had ever had at the Academy, including getting her ears trapped in a cruiser's door. "Well I didn't do it alone. Nick," she waved to the red fox she had left behind in her haste.

Ursula raised a brow as the Vulpine moved up behind Judy. "Yes, I heard about you, foxy. Bogo seems to think you might have what it takes to be one of the good guys. I heard about your little adventures with my favorite cadet." Judy blushed at the praise she was never allowed to hear while attending the Academy. "He also said there was some sort of special arrangements that needed to be made. Not exactly orthodox." The pair exchanged nervous glances. "But he also told me that nothing about you two ever has been, so let's get down to it. What is it that you think you need?"

Nick sat back as he let Judy take control of the conversation. She explained the instance involving when she was struck by the Nighthowler. Ursula seemed shocked by this reveal, presumably Bogo had not informed her of that experience making Nick wonder if Judy had been supposed to either. Judy then informed the bear about the Bond they had developed. Nick expected this to be the hardest part for her to grasp as it was an extremely rare bunny condition. Ursula merely grimaced before telling the bunny she 'just couldn't do things the easy way, could she.' Eventually the topic came around to Nick attending the Academy and how they needed to arrange it so that Judy could still function while being an officer.

"So what do you need?" Ursula had taken the discussion very well and was now mainly concerned with how to make the fox's Academy plans work without causing the bunny officer's safety to be threatened.

"Well, that's where it gets complicated." Judy looked over at Nick, silently willing him to continue for her. Easily picking up on the visual cues, Nick stepped up.

"First, she'll need to have access to me several times per day." He watched Ursula raise a brow at that. "Yes, at least 3 times. Once in the morning, once at lunch, and once at night. We'll need to be alone if possible for roughly 5-10 minutes each time."

"Now hold on," the polar bear started. "You said something about scent, not doing any 'hanky-panky' in my dormitories!"

"We're not having sex, Major." The bear glanced over at his partner to see her looking away, a dark glare on her face. _Not for lack of trying apparently,_ thought Ursula. "It's necessary to thoroughly scent her clothes to the degree that she can be away from me for hours at a time which will be necessary if she wants to keep being a cop."

"Alright, I can agree to this on a trial basis but you know you're gonna get shit for this from the other cadets, don't you?"

"I don't care, just as long as Carrots is safe." Ursula looked appraisingly at the fox that was combating her negative opinion of his species. Bogo had warned her that her conceptions would be tested by these two and indeed the rabbit had already done that several months prior.

"Alright, what else?"

"I'll need my own dorm room."

"Not happening there, foxy. Nobody gets special privileges in my house. You don't like being around the other kids, that's not my problem."

"It's not for me, it's for her."

The polar bear sighed, knowing what was probably coming next. "Oh boy. What now?"

"There may or may not be nights where she has to stay with me. The Bond isn't a stable element. It changes with environment and her stress levels. Now, if you want other cadets to see one of their own sleeping with their girlfriend while they aren't afforded the same treatment, that's fine with us." Nick stared at his claws before scraping a few loose specs of dirt from them. He had promised Judy he wouldn't be hustling her friend but sometimes desperate measures had to be implemented. He inwardly grinned as the Major ran her meaty paw over her face before dragging it down.

"Fine." She hesitated. "Before I hate myself for asking this, anything else?"

"Emergency procedures."

Ursula blinked. "I'm not sure I follow."

"Judy is a cop. She will be out in the field every day in one capacity or another. If something should happen, I need to be able to get to her as fast as possible because except for something with my scent, I'm the only thing that can save her life." Judy looked shocked at that statement, something stirring in the back of her mind. Something she hadn't considered slowly coming to the surface. "I would need to be allowed to leave any training course at the time of the emergency. I don't expect to have my performance put on hold and I will accept any and all judgment passed on me for it. I will have a waterproof phone on me at all times just for emergencies. These conditions are non-negotiable. Outside of these conditions, I expect to be treated as a normal cadet, no special treatment whatsoever, regardless of who my friends may be or what a certain Buffalo-butt may have planned." He waited as the large mammal digested everything he had just said. As she raised herself to her full height and glared down at the small fox, he thought he had overstepped the line but he was unwilling to back down and glared right back at her. Letting out a laugh, her demeanor suddenly changed.

"Well at least you know what you want, foxy." She clapped him on the back sending him to the ground five feet away. "I'll agree to those exceptions provided you do one thing for me."

"And what's that?"

"Prove to me and my little bunny friend that you have what it takes to be one of us." She held our her paw. Nick took it.

* * *

"So what movie do you want to watch? And don't say a romantic comedy."

"Ugh. What is it with you males and your refusal to watch romantic comedies? Do you think it makes you less of a male to watch something about love and friendship and intimacy?"

"No, you just get overly frisky during those movies and there are a lot of couples here right now. Don't want to start an early mating season," he teased. He loved watching her long ears tinge pink whenever she got embarrassed. Until that is when his arm feels like it's on fire from her incredibly hard punches. "I'm just teasing, Carrots. I'll watch whatever you want to watch," he said, now rubbing his aching shoulder.

Moving up and down the line, she stopped in front of a poster showing a jackrabbit in a tuxedo and a vixen in a white suit. "How about this one?" He looked at her suspiciously as she pointed to 'Savage and Skye.' "I remember you wanted to see this one last week before I dragged you off to the the romance movie about the wolves. I thought we could see this one together now."

"I'd love that, Carrots." She beamed up at him as she skipped over to buy the popcorn.

The theater was dark already, the trailers already partway through being shown. The one good thing about showing up late to a movie is that you get to bypass most of the extra fillers at the beginning of the show, although it was usually a trade-off against better seating. Due to the age of the movie, the theater was deserted so they had their pick of seats.

"This is perfect," Nick said. "No screaming kits, no angry people yelling, no cell phones-"

"No witnesses." Nick looked over questioningly at the young doe barely seeing the mischievous glint in her eyes before she tackled him, her lips pressed hard against his.

_**2 hours later...** _

"How was the movie, guys?" came the casual question from a theater employee.

"Movie? Oh, uh, yeah. It was great." The doe leading the befuddled fox by the paw giggled as his dreamy look failed to leave his muzzle.

* * *

That night Judy was finding it difficult to sleep. Her thoughts kept going back to something Nick had said earlier that day. ' _except for something with my scent, I'm the only thing that can save her life._ ' Even with all of the panic attacks she had experienced, something had been right there if not Nick himself to bring her back to normal. She had never experienced what it might truly be like to be stranded on her own without Nick to save her. _I would die._ She rested a paw against her chest as she drew in a sharp breath. _Without Nick, I will die._ Could she even let him be a cop now? If he died in the line of duty, she would follow him within hours. Could she risk both of their lives for some foolish dream? She realized that her original dream had now become Nick. She wanted nothing more than to be with him and nothing else mattered to her in the slightest. She loved being an officer but if he asked her to run away to Bunnyburrow or even the deepest forest she would drop everything and run with him. But he didn't. He decided to follow her. To keep her safe. And to live out the dream he'd had for years about helping others. She wouldn't do that to him just as he wouldn't to her. Secure in the knowledge that no matter what happened that they would be there for each other, Judy snuggled into his body and breathed in deeply, letting his scent take her to another world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: I'm putting the Academy about 10 minutes outside Savannah Central. I know in the movie it was far away but for the conditions of this story it needs to be closer.


	12. Chapter 16 - Dun, dun, DRAMA!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I had a hard time getting this written. My imagination kept failing me and my inspiration checked into rehab again. I was going to spend 2 days (2 chapters) in Bunnyburrow and now I'm this far in and haven't covered anything I was trying to. Damn me and my wandering mind!
> 
> Disclaimer: I sent some trained rats into the Disney studio ventilation system so they could sneak in and steal the rights to Zootopia. Oh here they are. What did you get? Wait. I said Zootopia! You stupid rats! Why would you bring me the script for Star Wars VIII you mor-... You know, this will do rather nicely for now. Carry on! There's cheese in the fridge, help yourself.

The Zootopian Central Station always appealed to the less honorable members of society as a great place to make some quick cash. Business mammals in a rush rarely noticed a few bills slipping out of their suit as they made their way to work. Dazzled tourists would hardly glance at a light jostle that left their pockets a little lighter than before. For Nick, the memories that came from traveling through the busy station were less than pleasant. Oh sure, he could rack up a small fortune in a week's time by applying his skills around here and even now he could see so many opportunities open to his darker side. And Nick hated himself for it. Just thinking about how he had been even just a few months ago was enough to make his stomach turn. How could he have ever been so _low_? The sad truth is, he knew exactly how. It's why he could never hate Finnick for continuing to hustle without him. Foxes were still regarded as filth to most of the city and very few opportunities were available to go legit. Very few foxes would ever get a chance like he had. A chance to change. But not everyone could have someone as special as Judy Hopps. His salvation from the pitiful existence he had experienced for so many years had come in the form of that beautiful doe that he loved so very much. Gazing over at the spirited gray angel, he could almost feel the love she had for him in return flowing between th-

"Nick, hurry your ass up! The train is going to leave!"

The spell broken, Nick put his contemplations on hold. Nimbly stepping around a pair of hippos making their way towards the smoothie bar, he leapt onto the railing of the escalator and slid down to the bottom, much to the surprise of the other mammals currently traveling down the conventional way. He earned a glare from a mother cheetah as his actions had made an impression on her child who was now clambering to follow Nick's example. With a sheepish grin and a half-hearted wave, the tod quickly moved to where his girlfriend was waiting on the platform. Nick added her luggage to his and the duo quickly boarding the train as it made it's departure.

"Honestly Nick, I don't know how you manage it. We got up at the same time. We showered at the same time. We got in the same taxi, we made it to the same station, and you _still_ were almost late." Judy rolled her eyes, the exasperation with her fox evident.

"Well Carrots, I could tell ya," he started, getting her to look him in the eye, "But then I'd have to eat you." He waggled his eyebrows at the double entendre, looking to earn a blush from the young doe. Instead, a sly look came over her face as she leaned in close.

"Promises, promises my love." His own blush at her quick reversal was interrupted as Judy leaned in and pressed her lips tight against his. Holding the contact for a few seconds longer, the bunny reluctantly pulled away from their intimate moment and settled for sitting next to the older mammal, her head now resting against his side as she drew in a deep breath that carried faint traces of his arousal. The fox knew that the next two hours were not going to pass quickly if she kept putting him in a state like he was currently in. Luckily for him, there were very few predators on the train with them that could detect the scent he was giving off and most of the prey seemed to be unaware due to their limited olfactory receptors. This did not stop the pair from receiving several harsh glares from the other passengers.

Nick was under no illusions that their relationship would be accepted by all. In fact, he was relatively surprised that they had gotten as few looks as they had during their outings together. Interspecies coupling was regarded by a fair amount of mammals as unclean. Like most highly charged issues, there were mammals on both sides of the issue with the majority of mammals taking up the middle and not really taking any stance at all, their own lives more paramount than worrying about who someone else may or may not love. Nick appreciated that sentiment as he would prefer everyone to mind their own business. It didn't matter how many stares they got or how many nasty comments they heard, nothing was going to separate him from his bunny. Slipping back behind the mask he had perfected over the years, he let his trademark smirk plaster itself on his face, defiantly putting his arm around the gray ball of fluff next to him. He would simply let their hate roll off him until they became infuriated by their own ineffectiveness. For a moment though, he had forgotten who he was sitting next to.

"What's your problem, sheep?" came an angry yell to his left. Nick put a paw to his face before he sat back to watch the magic unfold, betting with himself on how the scenario was going to play out.

The hornless mammal looked taken aback by the diminutive figure acting so aggressive towards him. Judy was unaware of how she appeared but many mammals on the train wouldn't have been shocked to see the outcry from a predator. Instead they were subjected to the sight of a small bunny baring her teeth at a fellow prey, ready to lunge at the offending creature in front of her. "I said what's your problem?" she repeated.

Thrown off a little and embarrassed by his reaction to a _rabbit_ the ram puffed himself up and went on the attack. "Your little display of perversion is my problem, missy. You inters make me sick. You're an affront to nature. How can you even live with yourself?"

Judy's face, which had been stoic during the sheep's rant, developed a smirk akin to the one Nick was still wearing. "How can I live with myself?" Turning, she grabbed Nick by both ears and hauled him into a frenzied kiss, her tongue dancing with his before he could process what was happening. Once he had gained control himself, he reached around and grasped her by her ears, tightening their embrace, Judy now moaning into his mouth from the pleasurable pain he was causing her. Feeling her desires increasing, she pulled back from him, letting her tongue slide across his fangs as she did in a defiant act aimed toward the now stunned ram. Directing her gaze back towards the shocked bigot, the bunny growled menacingly. "Happily. That's how. Now I suggest you move your woolly ass outta this car before I decide to make a sweater for my boyfriend!"

Scared, the ram quickly ran from the car, knocking into a few other passengers in his haste to get away from the feral bunny. Turning to address the rest of the car she stood tall and proud. "Anybody else want to say something?"

For a few moments nobody moved for fear of drawing the wrath of the tiny rabbit down upon themselves. Then, just as Judy was about to sit back down, a loud voice piped up from the end of the car. "Yeah, that was HOT." The voice belonged to a young brown doe, a crimson patch of dyed fur snaking it's way around her head and between her ears. The black finger-less gloves and vest along with the torn dark jeans gave the bunny a rather 'hard as nails' appearance, a rarity among their species. "If that foxy boy toy didn't have his claws already in you I'd be tempted to go after you myself, cutie." The bold statement and underlying sexual tones coming from the rather unorthodox rabbit seemed to have deflated Judy's rage, leaving her blushing and seeking the comforting hold of her fox in embarrassment. At the other end of the car a white wolf let out a whistle towards the gray bunny. This did not have the intended effect of supporting Judy as it caused a jealous flare to run through Nick leading him to snarl and wrap his paws around the bunny protectively as he glared at the other mammal. Feeling a little shocked at the response from the fox but not overly threatened, the wolf was content merely to send them a smirk in response. That is until a large paw grabbed him around the muzzle and yanked his head in the other direction.

"Those whistles had better only be aimed at me in the future. Got it?"

"Yes dear," whined the wolf through his pinched muzzle.

The female wolf released her mate's muzzle. "There's a good boy," she said, patting him on the head while he rubbed his jaw. Turning back to the couple, she gave them a small smile. "Don't let anyone talk down to you. You make a beautiful couple." The fox and rabbit thanked her before she continued. "Since we're heading into farm country, I'm going to guess you two are on the way to see her family?"

"Yeah, Carrots here has a couple weeks off from duty left and I don't start heading off to the police academy for another 2 weeks so we're taking a bit of time to visit her family before it gets hectic again."

A gleam of recognition crossed the Lupine's muzzle. "You-...You're Judy Hopps! You solved the Missing Mammals case and the Nighthowler one, too!" Judy was preparing for the overly common hero praise and whatnot that she was getting used to receiving, regardless of how little she wanted it, when she was stopped by the tears welling up in the female's eyes. "My little brother Timothy was one of those mammals. We were worried sick for him for weeks. And then you found him." Getting up, the larger mammal walked down to where Nick and Judy were sitting and kneeled down in front of the embarrassed rabbit officer. Spreading her arms apart slowly, she paused, indicating to Judy that she wanted to hug her but trying to portray her respect to her wishes if she chose not to. Judy made the decision easily as she leaned into the wolf and wrapped her arms as far around her as she could.

"I'm just happy I could help, Miss...?"

"Oh, where are my manners? Samantha. Samantha Hunterton. The uncouth shameless flirt back there is my husband, Peter." They all turned back to watch the amused expression on the white wolf's face falter a bit as he gave them a sheepish wave.

"Well Samantha, I'm really happy we could help find your brother. But you know, Nick here did most of the work."

"Oh no I didn't, Carrots. I may have pointed you in the right direction a couple times but the police work was all you."

"It was not! You knew all the right people, you knew the right places to go, and you stood up to Bogo for me! Without you the entire case would have stopped cold from the get go, not to mention we wouldn't have gotten anywhere on the Nighthowlers if you didn't know where to find that weasel, and don't get me started on the whole train car thing-"

Samantha shook her head as she made her way back to her husband, unnoticed by the two mammals who were now bickering over who did more during the case.

* * *

"This is how this fox dies. Not with a bang, but with a whimper."

" _Gazing out over a rolling sea of brown, gray, and white, the ruggedly handsome red Vulpine stared into the abyss of his own destruction. The unforgivable danger left the dashing fox stunned into submission, his limbs no longer under his own control. He had faced terrible odds before and come out unscathed, but this time, he knew, he was mere moments away from his own demise._ "

"Oh stop being so dramatic, Nick." Judy smacked the worried fox on the arm but secretly she understood his concern. Just on the other side of the glass doors of their train stood the almighty kerfluffle. A horde of rabbits of all ages waiting to devour the apprehensive fox and his bunny companion as soon as they stepped from their temporary safety.

"If we ran, would we live? We can find a place deep in the woods. Make a home out of twigs and mud covered bark. And we can use moss for our nest."

"Nick, stop it. This is my family. You know they only want what's best for me. And what's best for me is you." Judy raised her paw and dragged it along the side of his muzzle, turning his head toward hers. "Don't worry, sweetie. Everything will be fine." Nick closed his eyes, breathing in deeply to calm himself, repeating the action several times until the tension in his body had dissipated. Hearing the sound of air decompressing, Nick opened his eyes to see the glass doors pulling apart. For a moment, the idea of staying on until arriving safely back in Zootopia appealed to him and he was tempted to grab Judy and haul her back to the deepest parts of the train. But then he looked into her beautiful eyes and saw the sincerity of her smile and he melted. He would follow this brave and wonderful bunny anywhere she wanted to go. Taking her paw in his, they stepped onto the platform, took several steps forward, and waited.

A strange silence had descended upon the station platform moments before the train had arrived. Normally, a group gathered at the station meant a special visit from some family members which in turn would create a lot of commotion, usually to the displeasure of other passengers. Today however, the quietness and stillness of the large group of rabbits had many mammals unnerved. For a rabbit to be calm was strange but to have at least a hundred ranging from toddlers to teenagers was dumbfounding and frankly just plain _creepy_. When a small gray bunny stepped off from the newly arrived train holding the paw of a red fox, most of the bystanders sensed what had been the reason for the silent mob to have formed and quickly hurried onto into the cars to get away from the showdown they felt was about to occur.

Judy for her part was having a hard time processing what was happening. In all of her years being around her family, including when she was here just a couple weeks ago, she had never known her siblings to ever be silent. Family pictures alone could set them back several hours trying to deal with the craziness and yet here they were, silent as statues. The looks on their small faces ranged from stoic to acceptance to blatant hostility. Judy was unsurprised to see the latter belonged to a group of her teenage brothers who had been known to have rather 'anti-predator' opinions. Unsure of her next move, Judy tried a simple wave and a smile. At that moment, the wave broke.

"JUDY'S HOME!" came the deafening cry of a hundred small rabbits. The overwhelming sound caused Judy to grab her ears and yank them over her face trying to block out the sounds. As such, she missed the surge of the horde coming directly for her, raising her high above their heads eliciting a startled yelp from the captive bunny. Nick, who had been silently fearful the entire time, let his carefully crafted smirk break into a genuine smile as he laughed heartily at the sight of his bunny being carried around by dozens of her tiny siblings.

"Nick! Help!" came a cry from his bunny lass, her voice a little afraid but still carrying a lot of mirth. Waving her off, he reached down to grab the luggage, still chuckling at the absurdity of it all. Gathering up the small overnight bags, he stood, preparing to go 'rescue' Judy, when he was suddenly faced by half a dozen cross looking rabbits, all in their mid-to-late teens. Unsure of their intent, Nick held back from pushing through them directly. He wasn't necessarily afraid of the small pack in front of him, but neither was he stupid. He might be able to handle one, maybe two, but several ganging up on him could end in serious injuries for all parties involved.

Their leader, a brown rabbit with very visible muscle tone under his shirt, spat at the ground directly in front of the wary tod. "What are you doin' here, _fox_." Nick recognized the same tone as Judy's father had used during their first meeting and concluded this must be one of his _less enlightened_ kits.

Never one to back down from a challenge in a smart way, Nick fell back into his usual snark and cocky attitude, his signature smirk now firmly back in place. "Well little boy, I was riding the train, minding my own business, when suddenly this little gray bunny came up to me and said she needed a mammal to play her 'boyfriend' for some family gathering. And hey, who am I to turn down an adorable face such as hers." Watching the group of rabbits begin to splutter in rage, he ignored the self-preservation side of himself and continued to egg them on. "Anyways, she was very good looking which certainly doesn't hurt, am I right, boys?" winking at the leader of them, amused by the twitch in the rabbit's eye. "I figure if I play my cards right that maybe this fox might get to 'explore the burrow' if you know what I mean."

It took every ounce of self control that Nick possessed to not keel over from laughing. The mix of shock and anger across the group's faces gave them a stupefied and confused look which Nick took great joy in. His inner voice was screaming for him to find Judy but he ignored it, content in letting the bigoted rabbits stew in their own ignorance. What he didn't expect the buck to do, or at least didn't except him to _dare_ , was pull a pink taser out from behind his back. Nick looked at the device with a strong sense of loathing. He had seen many fellow foxes abused, and sometimes even tortured with these things, even once having it used on _him_. A maniacal grin formed on the rabbit's face as he triggered it, the electrical arc passing between the two prongs in a devilish display of intimidation.

"JOSHUA! What the hell are you doing?!" Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw Judy racing towards them, hampered by the great number of smaller rabbits encircling her.

"Don' worry, sis. Once we're through with 'em this red bastard won' be able ta hurt ya," the brown rabbit he now knew was named Joshua bragged.

"He's my boyfriend!" Judy fought through the horde, desperately trying to reach Nick.

"Yeah, sure. 'Boyfriend.' The fox already told us about ya making some sorta deal with 'im on the train." Taking several steps closer, Joshua started eyeing the fox on where to strike first. Judy meanwhile had turned to Nick, her eyes narrowing rapidly.

"Nick, what did you _do_?" Nick didn't fail to register the anger creeping into her voice, suddenly fearing her reaching him far more than the taser.

"I was just joking, Carrots! They came up to me, made a comment I didn't agree with, and so I played on their speciesm that may or may not have led me directly into this predicament."

"I swear Nick, I can't leave you alone for one second." Judy was now picking up her siblings and putting them behind her, steadily making her way towards the group.

Nick was about to reply when her brother struck, the lightning spitting from the end of the weapon coming dangerously close to his fur. "Joshua, no!" Judy's scream failed to stop or even slow down her brother who stabbed at the Vulpine again and again, Nick's nimble feet the only reason he hadn't been hit yet. Watching Joshua lunge at him, he memorized the pattern the young buck wasn't even aware he was making. Sidestepping a particularly nasty leap forward, Nick reached past the dangerous device and grabbed the buck's wrist. Casually bending it to the side, Nick pushed hard and watched as Joshua's paw unwillingly let go of the taser. Catching it as it fell, Nick quickly brought it to his chest and slid the battery pack out. Reaching into the small hole created by the removal of the pack, he grabbed both sides and, with great effort, ripped the offending contraption in half, the plastic parts straining against the metal bolts keeping it together. From the moment he had struck back to the moment the taser was in pieces in his paws had taken less than five seconds, fast enough to leave even Judy stunned at the swiftness and execution. Thrusting the broken shell back into a shocked Joshua's paws, Nick stood over him, his smirk back in place on his satisfied mug.

"If you can put it back together,you can try again, okay Joshy?" He patted the head of the stunned buck and moved past him just in time to see Judy hurdle the last of her siblings. He saw a mixture of sadness and relief in her eyes as he knelt down to hug her. The smile of reassurance on his face quickly faded and a bit of fear sprung into his eyes as her look of relief quickly turned into one of anger.

"You," -thump- "stupid" -thump- "idiotic" -thump- "ass, Nicholas Wilde!" punctuating every pause between words with a strong punch to the tod. The red fox straightened to his feet and began hopping up and down trying to shake away the pain from her punches. "All you had to do was ONE thing, Nick! Just make a good impression! Was that so hard to do?" She felt tears start to well up in her eyes. Sniffling, she swiped her paw across her face.

"Carrots, your brothers brought a _taser_ to greet us and they cornered me as soon as we got off the train. I would say disarming them and not kicking their fluffy butts counts a good impression." Nick was getting very upset at her insinuation that he was attempting to sabotage their trip when in reality it was her own family that was attacking him. Judy saw his frustration and realized she was taking her own dismay on the wrong mammal. Stepping into his arms, she reached up to stroke his cheek and was about to speak when they heard a commanding shout from behind them.

"JOSHUA YANCEY HOPPS! Did you bring a _taser_ to greet Judy and her boyfriend?!"

All one hundred and some odd bunnies and one red fox trembled visibly as the sight of an enraged Bonnie Hopps standing at the end of the platform, her foot tapping the ground rapidly.

* * *

"Judy dear, why don't you go put your bags in the guest room? I'd like to sit with Nicholas for a bit." Judy looked apprehensive at leaving her boyfriend alone with her mother in the kitchen. She knew that Bonnie approved of them but it was still unnerving. Glancing over at Nick, she was reassured by his nod, but only just.

"O-okay. I'll be back in a minute." Leaning over, she gave Nick a quick kiss which he returned. Raising her head, Nick swiped his chin over her collar before she left with the two small bags in paw. Nick watched her leave, hoping she would be okay. He was unfamiliar with the burrow and if something were to happen to her it could take him far too much time to find her. Lost in his worrying, a sharp tone of command snapped his attention to the older doe in front of him.

"Sit, Nicholas." He promptly sat down, not wanting to risk the ire of his girlfriend's mother. He felt as if he were being interrogated and kept waiting for the bright light to shine on his face to reveal all of his wrongdoings. "Relax, Nicholas." Bonnie smiled at how stiff the fox was carrying himself, obviously feeling some distress about where he was. "I only want to talk about my daughter." She observed the fear and uncertainty rolling off of him, his body assuming a much more relaxed stance. "There, that's better isn't it?" Bonnie gave him a warm smile. She wholeheartedly accepted the fact that he and Judy were a couple, especially with the whole 'Bond' issue they had together. In her mind, fate had paired them together for a reason and that was the end of it. "How has she been doing lately?"

"She's been fine. It's been a fairly large transition for her to be this supremely independent young rabbit to being attached to someone and needing them in one way or another 24/7. We've spent most of the last week trying to figure out the best way to deal with her condition especially as I've been accepted to the Police Academy."

"Oh, well that's wonderful. Will you be working with Judy?"

"Yes ma'am. If I graduate I'll be paired up with Judy at Precinct One."

Bonnie beamed at the news before her eyes turned dark. "Nicholas-"

Nick held up his paw. "Please, Mrs. Hopps. Just 'Nick.' No one's called me 'Nicholas' since my mother passed."

"Very well, but only if you promise to call me Bonnie. " He nodded as she continued. "I need to apologize for the behavior of some of my kits today. What they did was horrible. Just horrible. I honestly can't believe they did that. I know it's not how I or Stu raised them. No, not even Stu," she said in response to his arched brow. "My husband may be bullheaded and overly sensitive sometimes and he does still carry a bit of a speciest attitude towards foxes after what happened to Judy all those years ago," Bonnie missed the stunned look on Nick's face, "but his heart is in the right place. He would never harm another mammal unless he felt his family was in danger. What those boys today did was inexcusable. You can rest assured that both my husband and I will be dealing with them soundly."

"Mrs-... _Bonnie_ , I don't want this to turn into a family argument just over me. I'm not worth the trouble."

"Nick," Bonnie started, placing her paw on his, "my Judy trusts you. And she has the best judge of character out of this entire Burrow. And with nearly 300 children, that's certainly saying something. You are family here, and we protect our own." Nick's eyes began to well up. He hadn't had such support from anyone in a very long time and now not only did he have Judy, but her entire family. It him him harder than he was prepared for, his tears suddenly streaming down his face. Bonnie was instantly there, comforting the red fox as he expressed his gratitude in a way that should have embarrassed him, and if this had been several months ago it would have. But now, sitting with someone who considered him part of their family, he felt himself letting go. And it was wonderful.

* * *

Heading back from the guest room, Judy was skipping along happily. She may have been here at the Burrows only a short time ago, but the circumstances were far more favorable this time around. Before, she had been feeling hopeless, her actions setting predator and prey at each others throats worse than ever. She had been unable to find a way to fix what she had done and for someone who went into the job with an attitude of pure confidence that was difficult to accept. But what had really hurt her for all that time was the look of anger and betrayal on Nick's handsome face. She had hurt him. Badly. And she spent weeks laying in her room, depressed at the thought of having lost him so soon after finding a mammal she could truly love. It had taken her sisters constant questions about her newfound infatuation to finally open up to her family, although she never did tell them what _kind_ of mammal he was. She had to wonder if that was going to be a problem for them. She loved her sisters but she loved Nick unconditionally. And the Bond only strengthened that.

Continuing along the halls, she barely noticed as her siblings filed past her, some of them trying to ask her questions which she either ignored or did not hear. Heading for the kitchen, she turned into the Great Room only to find her brother Joshua and the small group of her siblings from the station blocking her path. Glaring at them, Judy folded her arms across her chest and planted her foot. "What do you want, Josh?"

Joshua tried to stare his older sister down. She was just a girl after all. But that 'girl' had been tempered over the years by an intense drive and refusal to listen to any derogatory comment pointed her way. She had experienced near-death, loss of friends, humiliation of the worst sort, and even driven to savagery. Looking into her eyes, Joshua found, was as if he was trying to make hell itself to bend to his wishes. Unable to keep his gaze on her, he shifted his eyes slightly below her nose in a vain attempt to bluff his way from his subservient action. "I- _we_ ," he clarified, gesturing to the group behind him, "want that _fox_ out of this house. You're never to see him again, you got that?"

Judy stared at him, shocked into silence for a moment, her jaw hanging partially open in surprise at his words. Joshua for his part looked supremely confident, convinced that his firm stance had jogged his sister into feeling _normal_ again. That is, until Judy began laughing so hard she nearly doubled over. Joshua's face hardened once more as Judy continued laughing at him, every so often able to pull herself together only to point at the buck and start laughing all over again. Unsure of what to do, the group behind Joshua started fidgeting, some of them leaving. This wasn't going at all like their leader had said it would. This was supposed to be an attempt to make their sister see some sense, however based on her reaction they had a feeling that wasn't going to happen.

Joshua's face had been steadily getting redder as his sister humiliated him. He had never held her in high regards, her police career being one of the deciding factors. In his mind, females weren't supposed to break from the mold that rabbits had held for millennia and his unwavering stance that rabbits were superior to all other mammals made him very unpopular with the rest of the house and Bunnyburrow at large. To be laughed at by a female was almost as insulting as the fox showing him up at the station. "Shut up, you little hussy!" Judy's laughter stopped abruptly, her attention now focused solely on her brother, her fists clenching and unclenching rapidly. Those few still remaining behind Joshua could see the anger in her eyes and wisely stepped far back from their brother. The leader of that pack failed to notice Judy's changed demeanor and felt emboldened by her reaction. "I can't believe little miss police officer would let a disgusting _fox_ take advantage of her. Did he brainwash you? _Force_ you? All he wants is to get his filthy fox body in your pants. I thought you of all rabbits would understand why the only good fox is a _dead_ fo-"

His statement would remain unfinished as a gray fist slammed into the buck's face, lifting the small mammal off his feet and slamming him into the ground several feet away. A glint of white from a tooth flying across the room was ignored as blood leaked from his mouth and nose. The gathered group thought he must be unconscious after such a hit. One even thought he might be dead. Judy for her part knew he was neither. She had not hit him with enough force to cause him to be knocked out, just enough to convince him that her fox was off limits. Joshua's head rang, his vision unfocused and swimming as he tried to sit up. He nearly managed it before falling back to the floor, spitting up a fair amount of blood and bile. Shaking his head to get rid of the cobwebs, his vision cleared in time to see his older sister standing over him, her face a vision of pure rage. "That is _MY_ fox. You will stay away from him and if you ever, _ever_ think about harming him, I will kill you. Do you understand me?" The predatory glare in her eyes told Joshua she was not exaggerating and it scared him. Nodding slowly in order to not spook her into injuring him further, he attempted to crawl away when she spoke again. "We're here for two days. I don't want to hear you, see you, or be given any indication you even exist. Got it? Now get out of here!" She raised her strong leg and swiftly kicked him in the backside sending his face plowing into the carpet. Turning to where she had seen the rest of her brothers, she was both pleased and slightly disappointed to see they had already fled. Wiping the blood from her knuckles, she started skipping again, whistling a Gazelle song to herself as she moved to find Nick. The realization of what had just occurred hit her suddenly and she paused in the hallway. _Oh god. What have I done? What is wrong with me?_

* * *

Nick had remained in the kitchen after Bonnie had wandered off to deal with a commotion her kits were causing. After hearing a few uttered swears and several more loud crashes on the opposite side of the burrow, he imagined she would be gone for a while. Noticing a pot of coffee steaming on the counter, he poured himself a generous cup and reoccupied his seat. Taking a long sip, he let the hot liquid wash away the worry from earlier. He was here now and most of the family seemed to like him. He would simply have to avoid the few troublemakers who apparently wanted his hide. Leaning back, he let his eyes close wishing his bunny was here.

As if the universe heard him, Nick felt familiar gray arms encircle his neck from behind, a sense of peace starting to calm him. "Hey foxy."

"Hi Carrots." Reaching up, he wrapped his paw around hers and stroked her fur. "Get everything set up alright?"

"Yes I did." Nick was a little shocked to feel her breath in his ear but for some reason it felt good. He tilted his head, letting the warm air brush against the sensitive fur around the tip, groaning a little at the sensation. "Just you and me in that big bed. Plenty of room for what I have in mind." Nick was suddenly confused.

"Carrots, didn't we say we were going to wai-" Nick paused as an unfamiliar scent wafted past his nose. It was definitely a rabbit, but it was not _his_ rabbit. Throwing the paws off of him, he scrambled to his feet only to see Judy exiting one of the tunnels into the kitchen, a look of anger on her face. Twisting around, Nick was greeted by the sight of another Judy. Nearly identical to his, there were slight differences. The second bunny's fur was a tad darker and her violet eyes were paler than his Judy. At first glance they were the same height but closer inspection showed the newer rabbit was slightly taller with shorter ears. She had a pleased grin on her face and seemed to be sending a taunting look behind him. Starting to turn around to make sure Judy hadn't left, he was shocked to hear a bloodcurdling shriek coming from behind him.

"JESSICA! Get your paws off my fox!" The second rabbit's grin broke, her mouth forming one of apprehension as she took several steps backward from Nick, her ears splayed down behind her back.

"N-now calm down, Judy. It was just a joke."

Storming over to the table, Judy glared at her sister as she grabbed Nick by the shirt and hauled him down to her level. Mashing her lips to his, she let out a purr as the surprised Vulpine gave in to her, his paws making a move towards body before whimpering as she pulled back. "Later," she whispered. Turning towards her sister, she growled at her. " _Mine_!"

"Jeez Judy, I've never seen you act like this before." Jessica was unsure if she should stay in the room or leave but she wanted to talk to her sister after everything she had gone through and decided to take a seat at the dining table. "I think I like it, as long as you don't point it at me, sis."

Judy rubbed her paw over her face, sighing heavily. She was feeling horrendously tired, her emotions having run down her energy levels to bare minimum. All she wanted to do was crawl in bed with Nick and sleep for a day. Maybe three. "I'm sorry, Jess. I'm not really sure what's going on with me. You aren't the first one I've gotten unreasonably upset with. I threatened to sheer a ram on the train and make a sweater out of him if he didn't leave us alone." Jess laughed while she pictured that. "And just now I knocked Josh down."

"Well _that_ one isn't unreasonable. I mean he just tried to taser your boyfriend."

"Yeah, but it doesn't justify me knocking his tooth out, breaking his nose, and threatening to kill him, does it?" Jessica's eyes grew large as Nick leaned in, more than a little concerned for her.

"Carrots, what's happening? What are you feeling when this is going on?"

"I don't know, Nick. It feels like really strong anger. Like I'm being threatened. Or maybe you are. I just don't know."

"Do you think it might be because of the Bond?"

Judy rubbed her paws over her face. "I suppose it could. Soon as we get back we need to go see Dr. Fields."

Jessica waited for Judy to finish before speaking. "I'm sorry. What's this 'Bond" thing you're talking about?"

"Mom didn't explain?" The other doe shook her head. "Well, that might explain why Josh and my brothers wouldn't back off. It's a little hard to explain. Oh, I know. Is Sarah home from med school?"

"Yeah, she got back at the end of the semester and the next doesn't start for two weeks. Why?"

"Cause we may need to make this a family event so everyone understands what's going on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: This chapter didn't come out at all like how I planned. Like 2% of my original outline was used. This story is going to take forever to tell at this rate. I keep doing this. Hell, they were supposed to be in Bunnyburrow three chapters ago. Big thanks to 'Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps' for the use of their character 'Jessica'.


	13. Chapter 17 - May God have mercy on you, for this bunny will not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter introduces my first O/C. Originally she was supposed to be for a few paragraphs, and then I wrote 2200 words about her. I think I'll keep her around. Plus she was the ONLY thing in this chapter I planned to do and went nuts on it.
> 
> Disclaimer: Ha! Disney thinks they can use Chris Hemsworth to distract me from stealing Zootop- OH MY GOD! I get my own tiny Mjolnir! And it's signed!

Sarah Hopps wasn't what you would call an 'outcast' but it wasn't far from the truth. She had grown up surrounded by 275 brothers and sisters and yet was probably one of the loneliest individuals you could ever meet. Though loved unconditionally by her mother and father, she would often find herself shunned by the rest of her family for something she could not control. And that uncontrollable factor, that many outside of the burrows would find baffling that it was a problem, was that she was a quad-color rabbit.

Standing just under two feet tall, Sarah had all of the physical appearances of a standard rabbit. Long ears that were normally draped along her back, large hindpaws that worked great for leaping and long hops, average sized paws with small claws for digging deep into the ground. She was for all intents and purposes the thing she had craved for so many years; a perfectly normal rabbit. But whenever she looked in the mirror or saw the avoiding glances of her fellow litter-mates, she was reminded that she was set apart from the rest. Her eye would catch the black fur of her left ear that traveled down over the left eye. Her white face and torso was such a stark contrast to the extremely dark fur of her ear that many would have difficulty seeing the rest of her, but when they did their eyes were drawn to the gray right ear that stopped directly where it met the top of her head. If this wasn't enough to shock the other mammal, eventually their gaze would travel downward seeing the tan waist and hindpaws. The colors held no physical trait concerns. It was simply a rare genetic anomaly. But many of the rabbit families in Bunnyburrow were a superstitious lot, seeing her abnormality as a sign that she must be cursed or destined for something terrible. Not everyone was like that. There was a good amount of them who thought it was foolishness but were afraid to publicly go against the majority for fear of reprisal and similar treatment. Years of attempts by her parents to convince her siblings that they were wrong never resulted in a change and Bonnie often had wept for her daughter at night. The only real friend she had in the burrows, who was not afraid of her or the majority of her siblings, was her sister, Judy.

A bit of an outcast herself, Judy was always there to stand by or defend her sister. Born just one litter apart, they became inseparable as kits, uncommon in many families. Normally the deepest attachments were between litter-mates, not others of different ages, but for Judy and Sarah, their relationship was as true as if they had been born holding hands. Always one to try and break the mold, Judy would offer her sister words of encouragement about finding her own place in the world. One where the opinions of their brothers and sisters didn't matter and she could be free to be herself. Her constant support and friendship allowed Sarah to experience a semblance of a childhood, though not the normal one of a country bunny. Even with the love of her sister, she still felt alone sometimes. For Judy, choosing to be different was just that. A choice. One that she could always change. For Sarah, it had been something forced upon her. Something to be ashamed of. Something to be feared. And so, during the beginnings of their high school years, Sarah came to resent Judy, even if just a little bit.

Fearing reprisal from other students, Sarah began to dye her fur to match her left ear. Black bunnies weren't very common, but she figured that a solid color would help her fit in better than her typical quad. When Judy saw this change in her, she would often question her about it, only ever receiving a response along the lines of her not understanding the problem. Fearing they were growing apart, Judy began to simply act as if Sarah hadn't made any change and she was a solid black all along, hoping to mend their relationship. For some reason unknown to Sarah, she felt even worse by Judy acting like this. It wasn't until the summer before her junior year that Sarah came to realize her mistake and begged Judy to forgive her for how she had acted. Judy reassured her sister that she did not need to ask for her forgiveness as she had done nothing wrong. She had only wanted Sarah to be happy. And so it was that on their first day back to school, Sarah walked in with her sister by her side as her normal quad-colored self. It had caused quite a scandal and many of those she had called friends stopped talking to her and pretended she did not exist. Others, who had seen the type of mammal that she was, were able to look past her coloring and remain her friend throughout the rest of her time in high school and even until today.

Love, unfortunately, was never going to happen in the country. She had known that for many years, but she always held out hope that one day it might change. However, she decided that now would be a better time to focus on her career. Love would come after. Her options in Bunnyburrow were limited due to the profiling of her color. But, after much persuading by Judy, she had turned her eyes towards Zootopia and found so many more opportunities. Her colors would no longer be a hinderance but in fact may be a help as uniqueness in the big city was often valuable. After much consideration, Sarah had decided she wanted to follow her sister's example and work to help people. Not being as brave or fearless as Judy, Sarah found the idea of being a doctor, rather than a police officer, to be very noble and sent in an application to the Zootopia Medical College. It had taken weeks of paw wringing but a letter did eventually find it's way to the burrow. The shriek of happiness had been heard throughout the entire burrow and to the open fields beyond. She had called Judy at the Academy that night to tell her the good news. Judy was so proud of her sister and they talked well into the night, much to the annoyance of Judy's bunk mate. She had made a promise to herself right then and there that she would always provide help to those who needed it, just like a doctor should, no matter when, where, or why. And so it was that Sarah Hopps was greeted by the sight of her beloved sister, whose head was resting firmly on the chest of a tall, red fox.

Sarah rubbed her eyes stiffly as if the action would somehow cause reality to change. Her sister was laying against a fox? Out of all animals... a _fox_? She was speechless for a moment, letting her gaze look the pair up and down. Noticing the russet paw Judy held across her chest as she smiled softly, Sarah was still finding it hard to believe. "Judy...that's a fox."

Letting out a fake gasp, Judy spun around and looked up into the grinning muzzle of her fox. "You're a fox?!" She playfully smacked his arm. "Why didn't you tell me? You know I hate foxes."

"You wound me, Carrots," the tod reeled back, throwing his arm across his face with vastly overdramatic motions. "Would you believe I'm a Bunny Prince trapped inside a fox's body and only a kiss will set me free?"

Judy grabbed his shirt and hauled him down to her. "No, but I'll kiss you anyway," she said as she pulled his lips to hers.

Sarah was both amused by their antics and also shocked at Judy's actions. She would never in a million years have thought Judy would fall for a fox. "Judy, what about the thing with Gideon?" She watched her sister's eyes grow wide as she almost imperceptibly shook her head mouthing 'No.'

"What's the thing with Gideon? Who is Gideon?" Nick asked innocently.

"Gideon was-" Sarah began.

"A friend!" Judy interrupted forcefully. "It's not important. Just something from a long time ago."

"Wait. Does this have something to do with what your mom mentioned happening years ago in regards to foxes and why your dad hates me so much?"

Judy, her jaw dropping open, slapped a paw to her face. _Of course mom would mention that. Why would I think I could get away from having_ that _discussion around here._ Sarah, seeing her sister in slight distress, took it upon herself to address Nick. "Gideon was a bully back when we were kids." They both watched as Judy bruied her face in her paws, unable to look at Nick. "He, um, he slashed Judy's face during one of the festivals after she defended her friends from him."

Nick's face sagged and he cast Judy a concerned look. "I'm guessing this 'Gideon' is a fox?" Judy nodded, her face still hidden. "Well, that explains the repellant," he murmured, his low volume still caught by the sensitive ears of the two rabbits. His eyes now sad, Nick gently pulled Judy's paws away from her face before putting one paw under her chin and raising her eyes to meet his. "Don't worry, Carrots. I'm not upset or anything. I'm just sorry I put you in that position at the press conference. I wish I had known. I never would have questioned you."

"No Nick, even though it hurt us both, it was still a good thing."

"How do figure that?"

"We may not have become this," she gestured between them. "And this is the greatest thing to happen to me in my whole life."

"Dumb bunny," Nick laughed. "We were always going to become this. Even with the world against us, we still became this."

Judy sighed before leaning her cheek into his paw. "I love you, my dumb fox."

Sarah threw up her paws in defeat. "Okay. This is probably the weirdest thing I've seen today."

Nick smirked. "Coming from a quad, that's something." He knew immediately he had said the wrong thing as Sarah stiffened up. Judy, her face a mix of anger and shock, turned to him and gave him a harsh glare. "Sorry, I didn't know that was a thing here. Is it like the 'C' word?" He directed at Judy.

"No, it's-..." she trailed off, unwilling to say something in front of Sarah.

"It's made me an outcast in my own family." Sarah had a defiant glare in her eyes, leveling it at the tod. "It's made my family hate me, and most of the town shun me. It's-it's-it's a nightmare!" she cried as tears began to fall from her large brown eyes.

Before Judy could even move, Nick had swept up the small bunny and held her to his chest, running his paw slowly down her back. The sobbing bunny gripped his shirt tight as the fabric became soaked with her tears. Judy felt a wave of jealousy hit her but she fought it down, her sister needing the comfort she knew her fox was capable of giving her, having been on the receiving end many times recently.

"There ya go. Let it all out, Sundae," Nick said, his paw now scratching between her ears. Seeing the baffled look on Judy's face, he turned to face her. "What?"

"Sundae? What is that supposed to be?"

"Her nickname, Carrots. See? Chocolate on bottom, whip cream, hot fudge, and the spoon!" Judy shook her head at the fox's description. "No?"

"I kinda like it," the muffled voice of the bunny clutching Nick said. Nick gestured down at the rabbit as if to say 'See? See?'

"You're both weird. And why are all of your nicknames something about food, Nick?"

Nick pretended to think as he stroked his chin, something he had started doing recently after watching old kung fu movies. "Because. I enjoy food." The two bunnies laughed, the one against his chest slightly strangled as she choked back some tears.

Rubbing her nose on his shirt, Sarah pulled back, giggling at the look Nick was giving his shirt, the wet spot now a bit slimy. "I think I'm okay now. Thanks guys." She hopped down and moved to quickly hug her sister before pulling back and giving her an appraising look. "So what can I do for you, Judy? I know you didn't come back just to show off your fox."

"You're right. I need your help actually. What have you heard about Scent Bonding?"

* * *

Nick had never really been in a rabbit's house, for obvious reasons. When he had been told that rabbits often dig their own homes, he imagined traveling through one would involve dirt. A _lot_ of dirt. Instead, he was treated to the sight of what looked like normal office hallways although noticeably arched at the top. Standard drywall had been installed and painted bright white. They were decorated with murals of all sorts, from skilled paintings to toddler crayons. It was inevitable with so many young kits that the walls would never stay clean. It was almost as if kits had some sort of built-in code that demanded artistic freedom and walls were their required canvas. It never failed that no matter how many times you eliminated crayons and markers from the entire burrow that somehow they would all be back at it ten minutes later. And so it was that most bunny burrows decided that drawing on the walls should be something encouraged. There were only two rules. Color _only_ the walls and _never_ draw over someone else's work.

"Wow! These paintings are incredible! Which ones are your, Carrots?" Judy smiled at Nick's enthusiasm. For many who had lived in the burrows for so many years, the drawings simply faded into the background. "Oh, is this one of yours?" Nick was pointing excitedly at a drawing of a gray rabbit with a shiny gold badge on her chest.

"Hmm. No, I think that's one of Cathy's. She's...seven, I think? I didn't do many. I think some of my toddler artwork is over in Hall J." Judy scratched her chin while looking over the drawing. "Not a bad likeness. C'mon. We have time for a shower before Sarah is ready to show us her research and talk with the family."

"Shower huh?" Nick waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Lead the way, Fluff." Judy groaned inwardly at the insinuation of intimacy that she knew he had no intention of going through with. They needed to have that talk _soon_.

Heading down the hall, they set off towards the guest rooms. Nick couldn't help but be amazed by the level of construction he was seeing. It must have taken weeks to design, plan, and build all of these tunnels and he said as much to Judy. "Oh no," she laughed heartily. "These were built in about a day." Laughing even harder at Nick's awestruck look, his jaw hanging loosely. "It's easy. My dad would call up his brothers that live nearby and one group would dig a new hall or living spaces, the next group would reinforce with wooden framework, then the next would bring through drywall...you see where I'm going with this?"

Nick nodded before asking "Is this something normally done around here?"

Judy smiled broadly. "One of the benefits of having large families. C'mon Slick, showers are down here." Judy had memorized all of the passages in the house when she was kid, minus the newly constructed ones for the additional litters her parents had. Even though she had never needed to use the guest showers, she could still find them blindfolded. After a few twisty turns, she led him into an alcove where the door to the male bathroom was.

"This...is the _bathroom_?!" Nick was in virtual awe at his surroundings. Tile was laid across the entire floor, leading to the edges of the walls where what looked like large gym lockers stood, obviously for storing clothing while the guests would shower. It reminded Nick of the co-ed dorm bathrooms you would see in college. What he did not expect to see were shower stalls built into the walls and lined with more tile, large enough for a polar bear to comfortably fit in. "Why is everything so big in here?"

"Well, you never know what sort of mammal might be staying here," Judy said as she pulled a couple of large, fluffy towels from one of the lockers. "Once there was a moose staying here and he couldn't fit into our other showers so dad had everything built in here to prevent another problem. I mean look at the tub." Judy gestured at the corner of the room. Where Judy saw a tub, Nick saw a hotel sized pool.

"I've never seen a bathtub I could safely dive into," admitted Nick, excited at the prospect of getting into the water.

"Nuh-uh, Mr. foxy-paddle. We've got time for a shower and that's what we're going to do. So get!" Judy gave her fox a light shove, directing him into the shower enclosure. He started to remove his shirt when Judy stopped him. "Let-..." she swallowed hard. "Let me. Please." Nick relaxed his paws and let Judy's take over. Biting her lip softly, she looked up into his eyes to see him gazing down into hers, his emerald orbs soft and loving. Understanding of her need for intimacy. Bending down closer to her, he bowed his head letting the fabric slip over his shoulders and be stripped from him. She ran her paws through the coarse fur of his chest, reveling in the mixture of red and white, the feeling of it causing her to moan with desire. Nick placed his arm below her rear and lifted her as he stood up, keeping her at the same level. The bunny, now nuzzling into the fur around his neck, cautiously opened her mouth and bit lightly into his skin. Hearing a small yip but also feeling a shudder go through the Vulpine gave her a bit of confidence that he might not so readily refuse her this time.

Nick was growing more aroused the longer he held the small bunny in his arms. Feeling her bite into him produced a confusing feeling of enjoyment. He hadn't believed a bunny's teeth could feel as pleasurable as he had heard a vixen's would cause in other males but then again he was learning a lot of new things recently. As much of an arrogant conmammal he had been, he was relatively innocent when it came to anything of the fairer sex. That didn't stop him from exploring these new experiences, he mused as he buried his nose into the rabbit's fur between her ears. Sniffing deeply, he rooted around trying to draw in as much of her scent as he could. It was intoxicating to the fox and it drove his need even higher. He knew he would have to stop eventually before it went too far but convincing his body of that seemed like it would be impossible. Turning, he shoved Judy up against the wall as her legs wrapped around his waist, their hips joining together tightly. He could feel her heat even through their clothing. His blood boiling, he bent his head down and latched his teeth deep into her shoulder. A sudden realization of what he had just done came over him and he began to withdraw, repulsed by his actions when Judy let out a low moan. He paused, now unsure if he was supposed to pull away or not. She made the decision for him by grabbing his ears and hauling him back from her. He cast his gaze downward, shame filling him until he felt the pull on his ears leading him to her other shoulder. Tentatively, he opened his maw and grazed her fur with his teeth. Feeling a shudder run through her body and her press his muzzle tighter to her body, he bit down on her flesh and was pleased by the sounds of pleasure she began making.

Judy had been dreaming of this for so long. She didn't know why, but she had always fantasized about Nick biting her. Before the Bond, it had seemed like an innocent little fantasy, well maybe not _innocent_ , but since that day at the museum, the urge to have him bite her had been overwhelming. She couldn't stop staring at his claws. His teeth. The idea of being scratched and bitten were enough to drive her mad with longing and it was all she could do most days not to jump him with that goal in mind. But she knew, especially with what had just happened, that he would be hesitant to try as he was afraid to hurt her.

"Nick," she purred, stroking his muzzle. He looked up at her, his jaw still fixed on her shoulder. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm not some delicate flower. And I want you to know that I've been waiting to feel you do that to me for a very long time." Grabbing the back of his head, she pulled him in closer, urging him to bite harder. Relenting, Nick pressed his teeth down, almost enough to break the skin before stopping, his body consumed by lust. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he brought his other paw up and ripped the shirt from her body. The fabric now in tatters, Judy quickly pulled Nick's head from her shoulder before bringing her lips to his, a surge of passion ripping through her as she brought his muzzle to her chest, chirping as he began licking her fur hungrily.

Nick had lost all rational thought. The scent of the gray bunny had robbed him of his ability to think, his base instincts now in control of his actions. Roughly grabbing the bunny's ears, he pulled her head back and sank his teeth into her neck. Hearing a shriek of excitement, he became emboldened, ready to do anything to the helpless figure beneath his paws. Dropping the small mammal to the floor, he shoved her backwards, letting her fall onto her back, the move shocking her. The look of confusion quickly turned into one of greedy hunger as she watched her fox crawl towards her on all fours, his eyes consumed with fire. She sensed his desire and it was overpowering. Feeling herself become wet, she grasped the top of her jeans and tried to slide them off only for the red fox to grasp her paws and slam them above her, holding them tightly. A move that would normally scare a small mammal, especially a bunny, Judy felt exhilarated. She was finally getting to feel her predator take control. To take her as he wished. She mewed in desperation as she felt his claws grab the waistline of her pants and force them from her body. The tod pulled back slightly to view the nude beauty beneath him. As many times as he would see her this way, it never failed to quicken his heart, to make his blood boil, to yearn to touch her and be touched by her. And now once again, she lay before him, open to whatever he might wish. Sniffing through her fur, the fox licked at her neck, enjoying the shiver that raced through the rabbit's form. She could feel the futile tugs she made trying to free her wrists. He would let them free on his terms. For now, she was his to torment. His to bite. His to please.

He nipped at the fur around her neck, eliciting a shrill cry as his fangs grazed her flesh. Opening his jaw wider, he latched back onto her neck, the smell of arousal from the young doe causing him to sink deeper, no longer stopping. Small droplets of blood formed at the bite marks. Rather than frighten her, she began moaning loudly, wishing she could free her hands to grasp his fur, to yank on his ears and push him deeper. She wanted to feel his teeth as he grasped her firmly, unwilling to stop until he was finished with her. Her despair at him moving away led to a cry of sorrow which was ignored by her fox. Licking up the blood droplets, Nick moved his body down hers until his muzzle rested above her legs. A small bit of self-control returned to him as he looked up to his bunny's violet eyes, seeking her approval. Judy was touched by the gesture but reassured him it was unnecessary. "You don't need to ask, sweetie. I'm always ready for you and whatever you want." The almost feral look came back into his eyes as he pressed his nose into the tops of her mound, rooting around in the fur. A heavy moan from above did not distract him as the scent from her sex drove him to the brink of sanity. Hungrily, Nick slid his tongue along her slit, finally tasting the nectar of her loins. His mind barely registered the cry of pleasure that echoed throughout the room before lapping at her aching folds. The taste of her overwhelmed his senses. He had to have more of her. Opening his maw, he latched his teeth directly above her mound, sliding his tongue back and forth along her crease, he jaw tightening onto her. Releasing her paws, he used both of his to grasp her hips, dragging her into his waiting muzzle. His tongue now stabbing at her entrance, he drove it deep within her. All of the foreplay and pent up days of starting and stopping had left her in an almost constant state of arousal, ready to release at a moment's notice for her fox. With one final lunge of his tongue deep inside her, she shrieked as she came, her fox lapping up every drop that spilled from her.

Nick, now helpless to stop himself, tore his own pants from his body and pulled her legs apart, resting them on his chest as he moved in closer. "Yes, yes Nick! Please!" Judy cried, begging for him to join with her. The fox slid his body in close, lining up his throbbing shaft with the entrance to her sex when there was a commotion outside the bathroom.

"Judy! Judy are you alright? I heard a scream! I thou-" the words were cut off as Stu rounded the corner and saw the red fox preparing to mount his daughter. "I-I-I-," he stammered, unsure of what to do.

"GET. OUT. NOW!" Judy growled, her voice almost feral. Stu scattered at the look on her face. The shock of what just happened broke the spell, Nick feeling his overwhelming arousal fade away.

Looking down at the mess they had made together, he sheepishly stood and offered her his paw. "Let's, um, let's take that shower now, Carrots." Judy reluctantly took it and followed him into the shower, gnashing her teeth together menacingly. _I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill BOTH of them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> somehow I forgot to post this before chapter 18. My bad!


	14. Chapter 18 - Biology is about facts, not truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay! This is it! We finally get to see what the Bond is, why Judy's acting like she is, and why Nick is having difficulty with, well, sex.
> 
> Disclaimer: I will not attempt to steal Zootopia anymore. Does anyone want a free Mickey Mouse hat? They are not micro-chipped for mind control or anything.

Whenever a meeting had to be held in the Hopps family burrow, it was quite a chore trying to wrangle the entire brood into one area. One could imagine the trials and frustrations of gathering nearly 300 rabbits into an outdoor amphitheater or carrot field. So Stu, along with some of the more tech savvy kits, designed an extension of the Great Room, making it grander and able to hold more of the family than normal. It was made up of three levels. The ground floor contained various couches and chairs, designed to act like a standard living room. Several large televisions attached to the walls, some hooked up to gaming consoles or dvd players. In the corner, a playroom had been set up, toys and blocks littering the floor. Upper rings consisted of a makeshift library with books gracing the walls, small tables and cushioned chairs along the banisters with large reading nooks. However, while it could support 75 rabbits comfortably, reaching the entire clan seemed out of reach. Instead, monitors were installed throughout the burrow in dorm hallways, bathrooms, and areas like the kitchen and gaming areas. The monitors would be linked to whatever was being presented in the Great Room and be viewable by the everyone. As tech became more advanced, the Hopps Geek Squad, kits who had an unhealthy obsession with cell phones and computers, created an app that would automatically prompt the cell phones of the family into showing the goings on. With more room, monitors in important areas, and every cell phone reachable, there was no excuse for any kit to miss out on a family meeting. So as Sarah Hopps keyed the computer at the front of the Great Room, the live feed was suddenly broadcasted to each Hopps family member, explaining to each and every one of them about the relationship of their sister Judy, and her new fox boyfriend.

The quad-colored rabbit usually tried to avoid being in front of the camera as it almost always ended with her being ridiculed. No one, especially the teenagers, wanted to be reminded they had a sibling like her. Many of the high schoolers feared they would be shamed by their classmates if they found out. The majority of them understood, however, that their parents only had her present something to the household if it involved medical concerns. And, as much as they might like to ignore Sarah, they considered their health important enough to tolerate her.

"H-h-hello, um, everyone." Sarah had never gotten the hang of public speaking, and to do it in front of an audience that mostly hated her did not make it any easier. Wiping her brow, she shuffled her papers, unsure where to begin when she heard a slight whisper coming from behind her.

"Hey, Sundae. Breathe. Okay? You got this."

Turning around, she saw her sister Judy and her boyfriend, the red fox, Nick both smiling at her. Nick gave her a thumbs up and a wink. Sarah grinned back, reassured by their support. Looking back at her mother and father, the latter of which was curiously looking at everything but her, Judy, and Nick, she drew in a deep breath before continuing. "Good afternoon, everyone. This is a special family announcement that deals with two mammals and the implications of what one of them is currently going through. Back with us is our sister, Judy. She is currently on leave from her work in the ZPD and brought home our second guest for everyone to meet, her boyfriend Nick Wilde." The feed flashed to show Judy sitting next to the red fox, close enough to nearly be on his lap. "Now," Sarah continued, "While some of you may be a bit offset by Judy being in a relationship with a fox, believe me I was too at first, many of you will remember that when Judy was home a few weeks ago that she was upset about missing a certain individual. That individual was Nick. Their connection was already very strong, especially with Judy, however that is not what we are here to talk about. What we are here to talk about is a different bond the two share that makes it critical to pay attention or something disastrous could occur."

"Our sister has become involved in a Scent Bond." Many whispers began to trickle through the Great Room, most of them trying to guess at what that meant. "For those who don't know, and I expect many of you do not, a Scent Bond is an extremely rare condition that happens to rabbits under extreme stress. Our sister is the fourth such case in the past century. Now, very little has been recorded of this condition so it took a lot of research into this to able to present it properly." Flipping through her notes, Sarah read a couple before placing them in proper order. "A Scent Bond is a rare condition that affects the adrenaline and anxiety aspects of the body. During an event which can trigger extreme stress, the rabbit will undergo a series of debilitating panic attacks in a short period of time, resulting in an overload of a 'fight or flight' response. The natural inclination for a rabbit is to flee the situation, our biological instincts keyed to such an event for tens of thousands of years for survival. If such an event occurs where 'flight' is not possible, the body will instinctively reach out to connect with another rabbit who the patient has formed a close emotional connection to already in order to reinforce the decline of their mental and physical state and halt the panic attacks. During such an event, the connection becomes permanent, forming a bond that is driven by physical interaction, most notably by scent and touch. Without this constant connection, the body reverts back to the panicked state prior the formation of the bond. When this happens, the body relives the severe panic attacks that occurred during the forming. The body reacts to the panic attacks by flooding the system with adrenaline. The excess adrenaline causes an overdose leading to worsened breathing, sudden weakness, slurred speech, problems with vision or balance, blurred vision, chest pain, shortness of breath and eventually death due to cerebral hemorrhage or cardiac arrest." Sarah looked up and glared directly into the camera, an act most unusual for the normally timid rabbit. "So in layman's terms, those of you assholes who are trying to break them apart or injure Nick in some way are going to _kill_ Judy. So knock it off, Josh!"

A voice piped up from the couch in front of her. Sarah looked at Jessica as she slowly stood. "What about everything else going on? I mean Judy normally doesn't act so...possessive."

"Or break somebody's nose!" came a nasally voice in the back. Judy stood, her ears high and fire in her eyes as she started for the vague form of her brother, her fists clenched as she let out a loud growl. A frantic commotion in the back showed a young buck streaking out of the room.

"Honey, why are you growling?" asked her concerned mother. Judy paused, noticing the looks her family was giving her. Some were concerned, others fearful. She took it all in before feeling her shoulders slump, her ears now hanging down her back in shame at her actions.

"I'm sorry." Her eyes began to water as tears welled up from inside her. Before she could say anything else, Nick had hurried over to her and scooped her up, bringing her close to his chest. Breathing in his scent, she clutched his shirt and let the tears flow. He stroked her ears while softly humming to her. "Oh Nick. What is happening to me?"

"I don't know, Carrots. But we'll figure it out."

"Actually, I think I can shed some light on that." The two mammals looked up in shock at Sarah. "What? I'm thorough. I researched psychological profiles of pred/prey couples as well as the physical changes that mammals undergo when exposed to Nighthowler toxin." They looked at her appraisingly.

"Well. Damn, Sundae." Sarah beamed at the nickname she was becoming quite fond of.

"So? What is it? What's happening to me, Sarah?" Judy was wringing her paws frantically. Finally _someone_ had some answers to give her.

"Okay, well, this is just a theory since this has never happened before. The Scent Bond causes a connection on an adrenaline/anxiety level. Without you receiving Nick's scent, your body goes into a mode of shutdown because of a severe panic attack. Because of this, your adrenaline spikes rapidly and floods your system causing your body to begin to fail. This you already know. Now, the next part deals with the Nighthowler effects. When you turned savage, the 'fight or flight' mode of your brain was thrown into chaos. Your natural instinct to flee was overridden by the toxin which caused you to attack anything you deemed a threat. When you were restrained, the 'flight' response was so overwhelming that you formed the Bond with Nick while at the same time your savage mind was currently engaged in it's 'fight' response. Here's where the guesswork comes in. Because of how the Nighthowler toxin affected you at the time, you seem to have... _adopted_ certain traits that a predator might have towards...well, their mate. I'm not really sure how it works. Like I said, it's pretty unique with no way to accurately test it. However, your behavior seems to indicate I'm fairly close. My best guess is that because you were attracted to Nick, your mind separated itself into being both your natural self and the 'savage' self that mimicked predatory responses. You're not actually a predator in nature. You won't start devouring chickens or anything like that. It's just a...permanent...mental condition."

Judy, who had been slowly been getting more and more upset as Sarah kept explaining the situation, felt her legs tremble as she was overcome by her body's strength fading. Barely able to reach her in time, Nick scooped her up and held her tight to his chest. Normally the scent and touch of her fox was enough to quell any stress she was having, but this time, finally knowing what her condition meant, was almost too much for her to calm her body. "Are you certain about this?" Judy looked up to see Nick's gaze focused solely on Sarah.

"No, I'm not." She sighed as many of the family began gesturing wildly, some accusing her of just trying to get attention. "Look," she shouted over the noise. "There's no way for me to prove it. I don't think you understand how complex this case is. I can only go based on what I've seen. The over-protectiveness, willing to attack her own family and threaten them when she felt Nick was in danger is a lot like a predator protecting their mate." Nick and Judy looked at each other before yelling out, trying to explain that they weren't at that stage yet which Sarah ignored with an exasperated look as if to say 'yeah, we apparently know before you do, get over it'. "It makes a lot of sense from her perspective as well. If Nick is unable to be near Judy often enough or during one of her attacks, she will die." A large collective gasp went around the room before everyone fell silent, desperate to hear more about their sister. Bonnie and Stu, who had already known this, sat quietly crying on the sofa in front of the trio. "Her physical aggression, especially in regards to sex," Judy's head snapped up at that, frantically shaking her head 'No' at her sister who continued without pause, "is much like a predator. Bunnies, while very, um, _enthusiastic_ about sex are much more mild mannered in regards to _how_ we act, whereas predators are very physical and aggressive."

 _Well that certainly explains some things,_ thought both Nick and Judy simultaneously.

"And now we get to the territorial aspect. If someone, or some _bunny_ ," Sarah locked gazes with Jessica who guiltily averted her eyes, "made her feel as if her mate, yeah yeah," she directed the couple who again started to protest, "we all get it, you don't want to acknowledge it, now hush. If someone were to make her feel she was going to lose her mate to another, Judy would become extremely aggressive and be very likely to attack. Do these all sound familiar Judy?"

The gray rabbit buried her face deep into her ma-, _fox's_ chest before nodding. She had never thought of Nick as her mate until Sarah began explaining her actions to her. She wasn't fully convinced but she couldn't deny that the feelings she had for him went way beyond 'boyfriend' status. It filled her chest with a warm feeling before reality crushed it in it's firm iron grip. She knew Nick would never accept her as his mate. Or, if he did, it would take a long time. She knew foxes did things differently. He had told her as much. It had interfered with her sex life on more than one occasion, which she still needed to talk to him about that, and relatively soon as she was still burning up inside from the shower incident a short while ago. Reminded of that humiliating experience, she glared over at her dad who was still avoiding looking at them. She felt her anger rising as she began to slowly gnash her teeth together, an intense urge to attack him welling up to the surface.

Nick, who had felt her body stiffen, looked down to see his bunny gathering herself for what looked like a leap, her angry gaze focused on her father. Acting quickly, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and hauled her to his chest. Stroking her ears, he whispered quietly so that others couldn't hear him over the din of loud conversation happening around them. "It's okay, Carrots. Your dad didn't do anything on purpose. You know that. Just breathe. That's it, breathe." He heard his bunny take in large, deep breaths, as she crawled up to press her nose deep into the fur of his neck. The scent of her fox was reassuring and calmed her body down to a level she could control. _Control_...

"Sarah!" The quad-colored rabbit focused her gaze on her sister who was currently embracing the fox's neck. Feeling awkward, she glanced slightly to the side, not meeting their eyes directly. "Can I control these feelings? Make them not impact me anymore?"

Sarah chose her next words carefully, unwilling to set her sister off again. "Well...you can certainly learn to control them to a point. You will always feel them, that can't be changed, but the level of how you react to them would be based on how well you can control yourself."

Judy was about to respond with more questions before she felt a cold nose push itself into the base of her ear. The hot breath of a fox made her ears stand straight up, her nose twitching furiously. "Don't try and control too much, Fluff. Some of it sounds a little...fun." With that, he let his fangs graze the edge of her ear, eliciting a severe shudder than ran through her already bothered figure.

Angry at how he seemed to flip from one extreme to the other, she grasped his paw and hopped down to the floor. "Let's go. We're going to talk. _NOW_." Nick wasn't sure if he should be frightened or not as she dragged him through the halls until they reached their room. Ripping open the door, she violently shoved him inside. Unbalanced, Nick's knees hit the edge of the bed and he toppled onto his back. Luckily for him the bed was not meant for bunnies as he was pretty sure he would have slammed his head into the wall falling backward like that. Judy had not been kidding when she said they built the guest rooms to be for larger animals. The bed he was laying on looked like it had been built for a moose, giving him plenty of room to stretch out and more than enough to have a small bunny curled up to him. _Speaking of a small bunny,_ Nick mused, looking around the room to find his adorable sleeping partner. Judy was currently pacing the floor, her feet thumping with each step as she tried to work off some of her frustration.

"Well Carrots, you know you could have just asked me here rather than dra-" his voice dropped off as the gray rabbit turned her head and glared in his direction. Nick gulped and felt a shiver of fear run through him as he observed her adversarial stance, the fire in her eyes one of rage rather than lust. He felt as if he were pinned under the gaze of a very lethal predator. _Maybe Sarah was right. This isn't at all like how Judy used to be._ "Carrots? Are you alright?"

"No! No I am not alright!" Her paws on her hips, she rapidly thumped her foot on the floor. "Are you kidding me? I'm so worked up I can't even think straight! And it's been like this for a week. Why? Why do I always have to instigate things? Why am I the only one looking for intimacy?" The anger in her eyes cooled, sadness replacing the fire. "Am I not attractive enough? Is there something wrong with me?"

Scrambling to his feet, Nick crossed the room and dropped to his knees, hugging his bunny. "No, Fluff. That's not it at all."

"Then what is it?" she sobbed into his shirt, unable to hold back her despair. "I thought I was doing everything right. But everytime I think we're going to finally do something, you push me away or pull back. I feel almost like I have to force you or catch you off guard to get intimate with you. I know we agreed to wait to do 'that' as you put it, and I'm okay with that. Mostly. But then we do nothing else even when you say all these things, giving me the wrong idea. You don't understand what that's doing to me." Wiping her eyes, she turned away from him and wrapped her arms around herself, her ears slumped low. "I just...I don't understand what I did wrong."

Nick stared at her back as feelings of guilt and sadness washed over him. He had never meant to hurt her and that was the problem. It was almost ironic. Not wanting to hurt her physically he had hurt her emotionally, and now she was paying for it. Shuffling forward on his knees, he wrapped his arms around her and slowly drew her into his lap. Leaning in, he nuzzled her neck, her back pressed against his chest. "I never meant for this to happen, Judy." Her ears perked up slightly at his use of her name. " I didn't want to hurt you. I've told you that I've never done anything like this before and I was worried I would let my instincts take over and accidentally hurt you. I mean I bit you and made you bleed an hour ago." Judy rubbed the bumps on her neck, realizing she hadn't told him about her fantasy she had been having for weeks. "We went to take a simple shower and I ended up tearing your clothes to shreds along with my own and then nearly forced myself on you."

Judy reached her paw back and grasped the back of his neck. "You didn't force anything on me, Nick. I wanted that far more than you did. I guess you didn't hear me but I was begging you to do it. Literally begging. And as for my neck, I shoulda told you this a while ago." Judy blushed trying to gain the courage to tell him. "I've been having fantasies of you biting me for weeks. And ever since the Bond it's only become more powerful of an urge. I guess that's the 'predator' side talking," she smiled, although it was more like a grimace. "I told you before that you never need to apologize for anything you or I do to make each other feel good." Tipping her head back, she kissed the underside of his muzzle, scratching behind his ear. "You can't break me, Slick. Although I wouldn't mind you trying," she grinned. "I think the _savage_ side of me is feeling a bit feisty again."

Nick chuckled as he kissed her between the ears. "You're always feisty, Carrots. But I think maybe we should just lay down for a while. We still have those things you wanted to do today." Judy groaned before slumping back into his arms, her ears flopping forward over her eyes.

"Fine. But just for a bit. I still want to show you around town and introduce you to some of my friends." She shed her clothes as Nick did the same. Climbing into bed, they snuggled up close to each other, Judy's body reacting to the feel of her fox's unclothed form as she nuzzled his chest. Clamping down on those feelings, she wiggled her hips into his, grinning as he softly groaned.

"Go to sleep Carrots. We'll get, let's say two hours? That should put us about at about three o'clock and we can go out for a bit before dinner."

"Sounds...goooood," Judy yawned, suddenly very tired after the exhausting morning.

"Get some rest, Fluff." He kissed her between her ears before closing his own eyes.

"Night, sweetie."

* * *

"Judy! Mom said to get up for dinner!" The door to the guest room crashed open, a gray bunny with black-tipped ears stood in the blinding light of the hallway ceiling lamp. "Mom said you and Ni-" The young rabbit stood in the doorway, her voice dying halfway through trying to reach out to her sister, the sight on the bed in front of her stealing away her breath.

The covers having been discarded at some point during their sleep, Nick and Judy remaining embraced on the large bed. They had shed their clothes before laying down and as such were completely exposed to the newly arrived rabbit. Unconsciously sensing another presence in the room, Nick turned his body to face what his instinct identified as a possible threat to his den. A loud gasp from the stunned rabbit was enough to jostle him from a rather intense dream where he and Judy had let go of their inhibitions which had left him in a very aroused state. Waking up, the first thing he noticed was Judy standing in the doorway. Unconcerned with his physical condition, considering she had seen it many times over the last couple of weeks, he stretched out his limbs, barely noticing the warm body next to him. "Hey Fluff. What's up?" The gray bunny's violet eyes glanced up at the Vulpine's face before going right back to resting on his groin.

"Whash goin on, Nick? Is it time to get up?" Nick froze at the sound of his girlfriend's voice behind him. Turning his head slightly, he noticed Judy rubbing her eyes as she sat up beside him. Nick's mind was still coming out of it's slumber but he was awake enough to put two and two together. Leaping from the bed, he dashed for the sheets they had discarded and threw them over his body. Confused by her fox's actions, she followed his shocked gaze to see her sister standing there, still stunned and looking at Nick. "JESSICA!" she growled loudly. "Get out, now!" Jessica's eyes snapped to Judy's angry glare and scampered as fast she could.

Nick sighed in relief and dropped the sheets. Judy, letting out a sigh of her own, looked over to see Nick's predicament. _No wonder she was staring. At MY fox!_ "So what caused that, Slick?"

Nick glanced down to see his fully erect state and shrugged. "Dream I was having."

Judy grinned. "Any good?"Nick smirked back at her.

"Very," he said, snapping his jaws together teasingly.

Judy was about to reply with something playful when they heard footsteps approach rapidly. Jessica appeared around the corner. "Oh and mom said to get up for dinner." Giving Nick a long, hard look of desire, she shook her head and ran off again.

Judy let out a low growl which quickly turned into a purr of contentment as she felt the arms of a certain fox wrap around her. Sitting quietly, she let him rock her back and forth until she felt herself drifting off again. Her eyes suddenly snapped open as what Jessica said registered. "Dinner?" She slapped her paw to her forehead. "We overslept. Damn. I wanted to show you the town."

"Hey," Nick tipped her chin back before kissing her lightly. "We have all day tomorrow. You can show me all the... _farms_ around here," he smirked.

"Hey! We have more than farms! There's...uh, the school. Oh and the town, there's a bakery and a diner and-" she broke off as the smirk on Nick's face grew larger and larger. "Oh shut up." Nick chuckled before giving her a quick kiss.

"C'mon. We're expected."

* * *

"Well Mrs. Hopps, I can safely say that was one of the best servings of vegetable soup I've ever had. Blows mine way out of the water."

"Aw, thank you Nick. And what did I say about that 'Mrs. Hopps' stuff?" She looked at him expectantly.

"Sorry. _Bonnie_." She nodded before heading over to deal with some of the younger kits throwing their food across the table at each other. Nick looked down the table to the patriarch of the family. He had been avoiding even looking at them ever since the incident in the bathroom. Nick tried to engage him in conversation. "I must say, Stu," he noticed the visible flinch of the older rabbit. "I was saying to Car- _Judy_ that your home is impressive. Not at all what I was expecting. I mean even this room is incredible. I didn't even know you could get a table to fit a hundred seats." A glint of pride came over Stu's eyes as he unwillingly turned to look at the tod.

"It's impressive, isn't it? Me and my brothers made it. There's two more on each side room here so that everyone can sit together."

"That's just incredible. And Judy said you and your brothers also made all the hallways in a _day_?" Stu nodded enthusiastically. "That's just-wow. You know, if you guys ever decided to build houses you would probably make a lot of money in Zootopia. You guys do fine work."

"Oh we're not much for that," Stu waved his hand dismissively. "Building for family is one thing but we're farmers in our blood. It _is_ pretty good though, huh?"

"I'm awestruck. Did you know it takes weeks, sometimes _months_ , to build a house in Zootopia?" There were cries of shock, some even accused him of lying. Nick shook his head. "No, it's true. The workers just don't have the harmony that rabbits do." Stu's chest puffed up a bit at the thought of how he and his brothers could outshine the big city folk in something as simple as construction.

Judy sat back and watched joyfully at how well Nick was smoothing over the relations with her father. She rubbed his arm, pleased at how things were currently going. stretching up, she kissed his cheek and sat back down, only then noticing the look on her father's face as he seemed like he was attempting to wrestle with something. She didn't have to wait long before he had stood from the table.

"Nick. Why don't we take a walk." Nick was suddenly wary while Judy was outwardly concerned. "No tasers, I promise," Stu assured them, his paws up. At that, Nick relaxed a bit before turning to Judy.

"How's the shirt?"

"I should be okay, just as long as you two don't go wandering too far, got that dad?" she raised her voice in the direction of the older rabbit. He nodded as Nick kissed Judy between the ears and followed him outside.

Stu led Nick a little ways away from the house, stopping shy of one of the crop fields. Scratching the back of his head, he tried to look at the canid but the awkwardness of the situation prevented him from looking directly at him. "Look Nick, I-I'm sorry about earlier. I, uh, _really_ wasn't expecting to see that."

"If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't expecting for it to happen. This is all new to me."

"What is? The relationship?"

"Um...Well, _any_ relationship. This is the first one I've been in." Stu was a bit shocked to hear that. Seeing the look on Stu's face, Nick continued. "Foxes do things a little, well actually a _lot_ differently. I hadn't been on a date in 8 years so my experience in any aspect of a relationship is zilch, emphasis on _any_." Stu looked confused before it dawned on him.

"Oh. OH! Oh, uh, well then. You picked a horrible species to have that problem with," he chuckled, Nick following suit.

"Maybe. But I wouldn't want it any other way."

_**Meanwhile in the kitchen...** _

"So how have things been, bun-bun?"

"Um...complicated." Judy took a long sip from her carrot juice. "You heard Sarah's presentation?" Bonnie nodded, drinking her tea. "Well, there are certain... aspects that have been a problem, but we may have sorted them out."

"The sex?" Bonnie asked casually as Judy spat out her drink.

"Wh- _what_?"

Bonnie gave her daughter a reproving look. "I'm a bunny and your mother, Judy. I know things." Grimacing, Judy nodded. She perked up as a large group of her younger siblings tore into the kitchen saving her from any more awkward conversations with her mother.

"Judy!"  
"Play with us!"  
"Look how big I am!"  
"Is that really your boyfriend?"  
"Are you getting married?"

The questions came from everywhere and Judy laughed at the excitement until they began climbing on her. Suddenly she felt a pang in her chest. She wasn't certain where it came from and then another hit. She felt herself suddenly gasping for air. Thinking the kits were just pressing down on her too much, she tried pushing them away from her chest. The feelings however did not let up. Waving frantically, she tried to signal her mother for them to clear out. She could smell rabbits all over the room but no sign of the scent she needed. The scent of her fox. The panic began to form, her chest constricting and her limbs twitching violently. Thrashing her head from side to side, her vision started to tunnel. Letting out a primal shriek, she struggled before collapsing under the group of rabbits.

Bonnie watched in terror as her daughter seemed to be fighting for her life. She was pulling the kits off of her as fast as she could but things were progressing too quickly. Turning towards the door, she started to yell for Nick before a bloodcurdling scream came from her daughter.

_**Back outside...** _

Nick and Stu had been making idle chat, trying to get to know one another better when a scream echoed across the yard.

"CARROTS!" Stu had to cover his ears as Nick yelled out. He had barely started to move when a flash of orange and white had tore across the yard, his speed marveling the old Lapine.

Nick tore through the kitchen door to see Judy collapsed on the floor, her chest heaving as she struggled for oxygen. Dropping to his knees, he cradled her to him, pressing her nose to his neck. "Breathe, Carrots. Just breathe. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Several agonizing seconds went by where Judy still didn't move. Finally catching his scent, her paws listlessly reached up and clutched in his chest fur. Both Judy and Nick were shaking at the experience, though for very different reasons. Seemingly unable to wake up, Judy simply lay in his arms. Nick had calmed considerably since he heard her first ragged breath along his neck but he was still very upset and felt a strong urge to get her away from everyone else. Looking over at Bonnie, he registered the absolute shock and fear she was experiencing. "I'm taking her to the room. Maybe there, away from other scents, she'll come out of it quicker." Bonnie nodded, unable to fully process what had just happened. Nick loped off towards the guest wing.

Bonnie sat frozen in the chair, her mind having difficulty processing what had just occurred. Judy had told her what would happen but she hadn't seen it for herself. She didn't notice that Stu had come back into the room and was trying to talk to her until he was gently shaking her shoulders. "Bon. What happened?"

She looked up at her husband, sadness in her eyes. "Oh Stu. Our poor little girl."


	15. Chapter 19 - Lust, Love, and Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are all awesome and I'm thrilled you love the story! This is also my longest chapter to date. I hope you all enjoy it, especially the ending. I've been planning that one for weeks.  
> Yes, the Kerfluffle overwhelmed the scent so Judy had an attack. I'm also the first (I believe) that had the Kerfluffle almost kill someone.  
> Judy is not a savage, nor does she become one at any point in time. Judy is in control of her own emotions. Her base instincts (mating, territorial, protective, etc.) are permanently heightened due to the "Savage" condition she was in at the time. No abilities, no special stuff, just a self-control issue at the instinctual level.
> 
> Disclaimer: OMG! I got a letter from Disney! Maybe it's something about my offer to purchase Zootopia. *opens letter* Uh-huh...mhmm...I know some of these words. What's a subpoena?

Eyes of sparkling amethyst opened into a world of russet fur and bodily warmth. Feelings of bliss and safety surrounded the young mammal as gray arms lifted themselves and stretched deep, the coiled muscles relaxing as they extended outward. At some point in their relationship, where Judy had been the one embracing the back of her fox, they had instead begun sleeping in the opposite manner, Judy's curled form resting back into Nick's chest, his tail wrapped protectively around her. _It's so fluffy and soft,_ she thought. _If I could use this as a pillow I'd never leave the bed._ Snuggling into her fox a little closer, she felt his warmth cover her entire body. After last night, she didn't feel safe anywhere but directly on top of him. She knew it was unfounded. No one had been trying to hurt her after all. But the feeling of vulnerability was difficult to overcome. Deciding she had better start the day, she had several things planned for the two of them, she stretched her body. And as her back pressed deeper into his body, that was when she felt it. A slight pressure at the base of her tail. One that she knew exactly what was the cause.

Running her paw behind her back, she slowly crept down until she felt the fluff of her tail shifting to the side, the pressure growing steadily. Her breath caught in her throat as she touched a familiar warmth, her paw instinctively wrapping around the heated flesh. Her heart skipped while holding the engorged shaft of her beloved fox in her paw. Excitement flashed through her, her hips unconsciously wiggling against him, her body seeking to accept him inside her. She could feel her pulse pounding inside her head, lustful thoughts overwhelming her sense of reasoning. A sudden new feeling, one of extreme pleasure and desire, turned her attention back to her actions. She was shocked to find her paw had been steadily bringing itself closer to her sex, the tip of his member now positioned at her entrance. Guilt and lust were at war with each other. Judy knew Nick wanted to wait, and she knew why even if he wouldn't tell her the real reason. She had promised him they would until he was ready. Her body however had other ideas. It became a battle of mental versus physical. Her normal self versus her _savage_ self. Logic versus instinct. Feeling her paw begin moving by itself, she shuddered as his tip ran up and down her folds. She was losing the battle and it saddened her to think she would betray her fox like this.

Trying desperately to keep herself from thrusting herself back onto him, she jumped at the feel of hot breath on her ears, the slow lick of a long tongue trailing up the outsides. A hoarse voice tinged with sadness spoke softly, barely more than a whisper. "If this is what you want, what you need, I will accept you willingly." Judy's heart nearly broke at the sound of her fox's voice. It shattered the spell of lust she was being controlled by and she pulled herself away from him. Rolling to face her love, she buried herself in the fur of his chest and wept.

"I'm so sorry, Nick. I-I couldn't control myself." She cried while he stroked her ears slowly. "I just-...I felt this _pull_ , and-..." She gripped his fur in both paws, quietly trying to choke back her tears. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I know you want to wait and I know why, the _real_ why,' Nick stiffened slightly at this, "and I was trying, I was trying so hard you have to believe me. I wouldn't-... not to you..." Judy let herself go, the tears pouring from her as she felt the arms of her fox circle around her and pull her tight.

"Shhh, my dear bunny love. You don't need to apologize. I know all to well the strength of these urges. And with what you've been dealing with I'm surprised at the amount of control you _do_ have." Nuzzling the top of her head, he whispered softly, "How do you know the real reason I've been resisting?"

Sighing, Judy ran her paw up to his face, her lavender eyes meeting his emerald gaze as she stroked his muzzle. "I told you before, I did my research so that when I found you again I would know how to get you back. I did a lot of that research on fox mating practices." Lowering her gaze, she toyed with the fur at his neck, slowly twirling it around her finger. "I know foxes mate for life and that... if the mate decides to leave them... that they would be left broken for the rest of their life. That to lose a mate would probably hurt so bad they would rather die." She drew in a shaky breath. "I know that's what you're afraid of, and I understand it. But I want you to know," she looked back up and locked her gaze to his, complete honesty in her eyes, "I would never do that to you. I love you, sweetie. Nothing will ever change that."

"I love you too, Carrots." Nick sighed, realizing he was about to admit something that had terrified him from the moment he had figured it out. "I've done the math, Carrots. Your condition eventually will reach the stage where we have to have physical intimacy. I can only do that if we're mated. And I know this and I've accepted it. I've wanted nothing else since I finally realized my feelings for you. I'm just...scared."He broke eye contact and looked down at their bodies still embracing each other. "We're taught as kits that mating is very serious. If a mate leaves us or dies before their time, foxes tend to slip into a deep depression which a lot of the time leads to death. So when we do this, it will bind us together just as your bond does. If either of us die, the other dies with them."

Weeping anew, the small bunny buried her face in the fox's chest, her tears soaking their fur. He pulled her into his arms and wrapped his tail across her legs as his own tears began to fall.

* * *

Sunday was normally Stu's day of light work out in the fields. He enjoyed getting his hands deep in the dirt and he was never one to shirk his duties of planting. Farming was a rabbit's way of life after all and darn it all if he wasn't one of the best and most dedicated around. But Sunday was meant for family and friends, so Stu would normally limit the time he and his kits spent in the fields to the early morning, allowing them to enjoy their day in the sun. Today however, Stu had instructed the kits to begin their fun early. There would be no field work today. Instead, Stu sat with his wife at the kitchen table, a pot of coffee between them as they gripped their cups tightly, waiting for their daughter and her fox friend to wake and make an appearance.

"It's really that bad, Bon?" Stu asked for the hundredth time.

Bonnie looked up at her husband, hey eyes red and puffy. After the event last night, she had been up most of the night crying. Witnessing her daughter convulsing and being unable to do anything to help her had been deeply disturbing to the older doe. "She was dying, Stu. And I was helpless. Helpless! My daughter was dying right in front of me and I froze!" Her hand shook as she tried to take a sip from her cup before giving up and putting it back down. "She tried to tell us. Heck, Sarah even did that presentation. But while I understood the words, it didn't really set in for me un-...until..." She trailed off, waving her paw vaguely at the chairs that had remained tipped over since the incident.

"Nick really is the only thing keeping her alive," Stu said, stunned at the truth of it all. "He- he could leave at any time. Cut ties and be done with it all but he hasn't." He rubbed his paws over his face trying to clear the cobwebs from his head. "He's going against everything I thought foxes were. He's really been there for her, hasn't he?"

"And I always will be," came the voice of the red fox as he and Judy entered the kitchen. Bonnie took in their strained smiles, the wet stains of fur beneath their eyes. She could tell they had been crying and started to ask how they were when Stu rushed forward, nearly knocking over the surprised tod.

Stu swallowed hard before stepping up to him. "You know, there was still a part of me that didn't believe Judy when she told us the stories of you guys going around the city, taking on all those dangers. And then during all the Nighthowler stuff, I found it really hard to accept what she was telling us, about how you two had saved each other so many times. But it really happened didn't it?" Nick nodded. "You really do love her, don't you?" Nick nodded again. Stu broke down, his face falling in sadness. "I'm so sorry, Nicholas. I've been nothing but a jerk to you. Even while we were talking last night I still couldn't bring myself to trust you. But after last-...after last ni-" Stu tried to clamp down on his tears but ultimately failed as they spilled from his eyes, wetting the Vulpine's shirt as he bawled uncontrollably. Nick stood there, smiling somewhat awkwardly as he patted the old buck's back looking over at Judy for help. The young doe had gone to stand over by her mother, their eyes both welling up at the sight of the two males. Judy shook her head, gesturing for him to wait until her father could compose himself. It took several minutes but eventually Stu had gathered himself together enough to speak. "A-after last night, I couldn't be happier that you are with our little Jude. If this had to happen, I'm glad it happened with you. And Jude," he said turning to his daughter, "you already have your mother's but now you have my blessing as well."

"Oh daddy!" Judy tore from her mother's side and sped at him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Stu returned the gesture just as tight, his eyes threatening to mist over again. Pulling back, he cleared his throat, wiping his paw across his eyes, trying to keep his composure.

"Now, that being said," he grabbed Nick's paw and one of Judy's and placed them together, his tone serious. "If I find you two repeating that little bathroom incident anywhere except your room, I _will_ tase you, Nick. I have young kits around here still and they don't need to see... _that_. And frankly neither do I."

Chuckling nervously, Nick nodded his head. "You got it, sir."

Laughing, Stu waved his paw dismissively. "None of that 'sir' stuff. It's Stu. Got it? _Son_?" Judy couldn't stop herself and let her tears flow, hugging her dad even tighter.

Nick's face was in a battle between his true feelings and those he always chose to portray. He had always lived by his mantra of never letting anyone see they got to him, and yet it seemed this whole family of bunnies, _bunnies_ , was somehow able to awake such extreme emotions in him that his facade was on the verge of breaking every day. His voice trembling, he managed to get out "Th-Thanks...Stu. We uh, we need to get going, right Ca-Carrots?" He quickly headed to the screen door and left the house. Judy, more familiar with the attitude of her fox than her parents were, patted the arm of her dad who looked very confused.

"Don't worry, guys. Nick's just very guarded. You just got to him, that's all. I better go get him. My dumb fox needs to someone to look after him."

* * *

Finding the fox had been easier than Judy had expected. At the edge of the backyard, Nick was braced over the railing of the gazebo, gazing out over the expansive fields. Torn between leaving him to his thoughts or joining him, Judy let her feet draw herself towards the gazebo steps. The sun had risen long ago and was now approaching mid-morning. Covered in shadow, the gazebo offered a perfect vantage point for the tod as it gave his eyes a break from the harsh daylight. Judy reached her fox and slipped her arm around his and leaned against his side. Sighing, Nick continued looking over the incredible view before him. "I'm sorry I ran out like that."

"It's okay, sweetie," she reassured him. "I know what that meant to you." Looking up at her fox, she shook her head as he shrugged noncommittally. She knew, and that was enough. She would let him keep his walls.

"I have to say, this is impressive."

Judy was confused at the vague statement. "What's impressive?"

"This." Nick pointed at the backyard. Judy looked out, uncertain what he meant. It was like it always was. Amused by her confusion, he gestured again. "The jungle gyms! The swingsets! This is the most incredible backyard I've ever seen. Those jungle gyms could fit a hundred kits. You have a swimming hole the size of an Animalympic pool! I would have given anything to grow up in a place like this." He breathed in, reveling in the clean air and fresh breeze. "We didn't have anything like this where I grew up. I mean we had a park but it was rusty and a lot of drug deals went down there at night. My parents would never let me go." His face fell, recalling earlier memories. "I envy your brothers and sisters." Judy had never thought about how Zootopia would have been like to grow up as a kit. As an adult, chaotic and cramped wasn't really a problem. But for a child, Judy could imagine there wouldn't be a whole lot to do that didn't involve problems with safety or opportunity. They stood at the railing for a while longer, Judy comforting her fox as he dreamed of having had more freedom as a kit before she gently pulled at his arm.

"C'mon, Slick. There's still stuff I want to show you."

Making their way towards the truck, Judy thought about what she could show him downtown. Granted there really wasn't much to see once you've lived in Zootopia, but she could still show him the bakery and maybe Gideon, introduce him to her friends. She was a little apprehensive about how her friends would take her being together with a fox, but in the end it wouldn't matter. He was her fox and she wasn't ever going to let him go. Lost in those thoughts, she had almost reached the truck before realizing that Nick was no longer next to her. In fact, she couldn't see him at all. Backtracking, she passed by one of the tool sheds before she heard a faint sound of heavy breathing and the groaning of wood and steel. Following it to the side of the barn, she kept glancing around hoping to spot a glimpse of her fox. Turning the corner, she did indeed find her fox but it was what he was watching that was interesting.

Spinning quickly around the top of a set of homemade uneven parallel bars, a young buck was adjusting his paws rapidly. Releasing his grip, Judy felt a moment of panic before his paws shot out lighting quick to grasp the other bar, his momentum carrying over, continuing the incredible speed he had worked up. Judy walked up next to Nick who gazed in awe at the young buck's speed and control.

Leaning down, the fox whispered as quietly as he could, not wanting to break the rabbit's concentration. "Who's this?"

"That's my brother Bailey," she whispered back. "He's been doing gymnastics since he was six."

"He's amazing. He'll probably be in the Animalympics some day."

"That's what he would like to do. He's been competing the last four years. He's gotten quite a few trophies." She frowned a bit. "Mom and dad don't really like it. They think it's too dangerous but they support his freedom. Lately he's been telling me they've eased up a lot."

"Probably something to do with a certain daughter becoming a cop and saving the city," Nick smirked.

"Oh stop it." Judy blushed, the inside of her ears turning slightly pink. She punched him in the arm as they turned back to see Bailey release at the height of his speed. His body flipping in mid-air, he expertly landed on the makeshift mat under the bars before throwing his arms out and then up.

"Actually sis, he's right." Bailey moved over to the hay bales nearby and grabbed his water bottle. Taking a few swigs, he chucked it back down and grabbed a towel hanging nearby. Patting his neck and chest to clear off the sweat, he gave her a serious look. "Your dream always inspired me be something more than what mom and dad wanted. They pushed me trying to get me to quit even as skilled I seem to be at it. But after you graduated the academy, they kinda let off, though I don't know if it was acceptance or you just took the heat off me." He chuckled a bit as he walked up to them, his paw outstretched to Nick. "Bailey Hopps."

"Nick Wilde," he said, taking the young buck's paw.

"Ah," his eyes shifted to his sister as he raised a brow. " _That_ Nick.

"Jeez, Carrots. Is there _anyone_ here you didn't talk about me to?"

"Not really," she grinned, shrugging her shoulders. "It's a burrow. Gossip travels like _wilde_ fire." Judy waggled he brows as she emphasized the 'wilde' part. Both Nick and Bailey groaned.

"That was terrible, Fluff." Turning his attention back to Bailey, he noticed he seemed perfectly at ease with them. "Gotta say, Bailey. You don't seem at all put off about your sister and me."

He shrugged casually as if bored by the observation. "Probably because I'm not. Interspecies relationships don't bother me. Love is blind, right? Although I never figured you for a fox type, Judy. After what happened, you know..." He tried to avoid looking directly at Nick, unsure of how his sister wanted to handle it.

"He knows, Bailey. And to be honest, until I met Nick I never was interested in foxes," Judy admitted as she grasped Nick's paw and brought it to her lips, planting a light kiss on his fur. "Actually, I knew that if I ever did find someone that it probably wasn't going to be a buck. I was never really attracted to them although I didn't understand what that meant until then." Rubbing the fur on the back of her neck, she sheepishly avoided Bailey's gaze. "I know that probably sounds weird-"

"No!" The yell stunned Judy. Her brother appeared embarrassed by his outburst. "I mean uh, it doesn't. It doesn't sound weird at all." His expression morphed into one of thoughtfulness and confusion. Shaking his head, he smiled at the both of them. "I'm sorry. I'm probably keeping you from something. I gotta finish my routine anyways." Putting out his paw, he shook Nick's. "Nice to meet you Nick. Glad you came for a visit, sis." Hugging her tight, his face once again became one of contemplation. "I'll send you two an invitation to my next event."

"Wouldn't miss it, Squirt," Nick ruffled the young kit's ears as they walked away. Reaching the corner, both Nick and Judy looked back to see Bailey sitting down on a bale of hay, his face very confused. Nick leaned over and quietly whispered to his bunny. "I think that kit has more in common with you than he realizes."

"What do you mean?" said the shocked doe.

"Or you realize apparently," he grinned. "We'll see at some point."

* * *

"So where do you want to go first?"

"Wait a minute. This is my vacation to the country. Aren't you supposed to be my tour guide?" Nick teased. He knew there was very little to do in town but he wanted her to think he was having a good time.

"Well, um, are you hungry?"

"I''m always hungry, Carrots."

"So what do you want to eat?"

"Carrots," he said with a waggle of his brow. Judy nearly crashed the truck as she whipped her head around to see his knowing smirk.

"Nick! Don't _do_ that to me. Especially when you're not serious."

"Who says I'm not?" She glanced over at him to see a very genuine smile on his muzzle. "I've been thinking since this morning... and you're right. I haven't been fair to you. I've been pulling away too much. Afraid of losing control, of hurting you. And it's not fair. And I know I promised this before but I'm not going to let my fear get the better of me anymore. Except for mating, I'm on board for anything else you want. And yes, eventually we'll do that too. I just, I need to get over that barrier on my own terms. Is that okay?"

Judy reached over and grasped his paw, her eyes reflecting the smile on her face. "It sounds wonderful, sweetie." Nick relaxed a bit. He had been unsure how she would take it but it all had gone wonderfully. That is, until he saw her smile disappear and her fist raise before thumping him in the shoulder. "Why did you have to wait until we got to town to tell me this?! Why couldn't you have said something back at the burrow? There's a bed there!" Nick started laughing, his eyes tearing up although whether it was from the laughter or the whimpers he made with each thump she gave him he wasn't sure.

Slightly peeved, Judy drove in silence for the next few minutes until they reached the center of town. Parking the truck at the old fuel station/diner/mechanic, Judy hopped down and slammed the door a little harder than she meant to. A bit concerned, Nick tried to sneak up behind her, normally impossible because of her excellent hearing but she was distracted and not paying attention to his antics. Sweeping her up into his arms, he was rewarded with a sharp squeal of surprise. "Put me down, Nicholas Wilde! Right now!"

"I'm sorry, Carrots. I can't do that. There is an upset bunny in the vicinity and it's my duty as said bunny's boyfriend to kiss away her problems." He pecked her cheek, much to her protest. Then her nose. Then one to each of her ears, the whole time her resistance wearing down until she took the initiative and pulled his head down to meet her lips to his. Backing off, Judy licked her lips, tasting her fox on her tongue. "Is my bunny feeling better?"

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she sighed happily and snuggled into his neck. "Very."

"Good. Now, where did you want to g-"

"Stop right there! Drop the rabbit. Now."

 _Well shit,_ Nick thought. Judy seemed to be having the same thought as she struggled to see who was talking. "Carrots, if you keep doing that they're going to think I'm kidnapping you or something."

Judy stopped moving, realizing how her actions could be construed. "Sorry." Peering over his shoulder, she could vaguely see the end of an antler. She quickly ran through who she knew with antlers in town. The moose Deputy, the caribou who owned the mechanic's shop, and the deer who ran the bookstore were the only ones she could think of.

"Put the bunny down and get on your paws and knees."

 _Ah. Deputy Hooverson._ Judy remembered the good deputy from her days growing up in Bunnyburrow. Always wanting the sheriff's chair, always being bypassed for a promotion. He had been one of the staunchest opponents to her becoming a cop, including even trying to pressure the sheriff, a ram by the name of Bill Cottons, into denying her a written letter of recommendation to the Academy. She wasn't surprised to see him still here even with all of the complaints against him by predator and prey alike.

"I'm not gonna ask again, _fox_. Put the bunny down. Now." Both mammals heard a hammer being cocked and suddenly they were very fearful of their well being. A speciest mammal with a gun, regardless of their profession, was a dangerous thing. Putting Judy slowly on the ground, the young doe straightened her shirt before stepping around the frozen fox. "You alright, Miss-," started the moose before recognizing Judy. "Hey, it's Judy Hopps. What are you doin' back here? Wash out of the Academy after all, little girl?" He started laughing, keeping his gun trained on Nick's back.

"Actually Hooverson, I'm an officer." Flashing her badge, she enjoyed the look of shock on his smug face. "I guess you don't watch tv. Me and my _boyfriend_ here, just saved the city of Zootopia about two weeks ago. We're in town visiting my folks when lo and behold, some dumb moose points a gun at us, endangering an officer of the law and a cadet of the Zootopia Police Academy." With immense satisfaction, she watched the moose's face pale drastically. "Now, since we at the ZPD have jurisdiction even way out here, I'm gonna need you to surrender your weapon and place your paws on the hood of your jeep."

"Wait a minute," he protested. "You can't just-"

"Hey Carrots, what's the additional charges for resisting arrest?" Nick said, offering his two cents on the matter. With a gulp, the deputy quickly relinquished his gun to Judy and walked over to his jeep. Judy, emptying the revolver of it's shells, pocketed the weapon and called the sheriff on the radio.

* * *

"That was fun!" Nick exclaimed. "Let's go arrest more people!"

Judy laughed, her eyes twinkling at his enthusiasm. "Sorry Slick, it ain't that easy. Although I will tell you I'm glad we finally got something on ol' Hoofs for brains. He's been a nightmare for years. Never knew why they didn't fire him. Now, we were on the subject of getting something to eat."

"Yes," the fox straightened, changing his attitude to one of strictly business. "Sustenance is vital after all." Judy giggled at the stiffness in his posture. To his credit, Nick made it nearly 20 feet before the classic smirk reemerged.

"You like pie?"

Nick scoffed. "Like pie? Who even asks that? Of course I like pie. Everyone likes pie."

Judy smiled at her fox, but on the inside she was dreading how he would react. She knew he didn't like Gideon since he found out about her scars, but she wanted them to try to meet peacefully if just to reassure her that trying to show Gideon she wasn't the same scared little girl he had bullied anymore than he was the angry young fox who had been the bully. "C'mon. Bakery is this way. Best pies in the Tri-Burrows."

"Well," he laughed, "Who am I to judge the whole 'Tri-Burrow' pastry committee?" Judy gave him a light shove, giving him a playful smile. Reaching the door, Nick looked at the sign and frowned. "'Gideon Grey's Real Good Baked Stuff.'" Turning he shot Judy a look telling her he wasn't amused by where she had taken him. "Carrots, I don't know about this. I know you said he's changed but I only just found out that my girlfriend was mauled by a fox when she was a kit which ended up in us being apart for three months. I don't know if I can do this."

"Please Nick. Just try, okay? If at any point you feel uncomfortable we can leave." He sighed heavily. Thinking for a few seconds, he ran his thumb over the cheek where he could feel the scratches. He sighed again. Nodding, he cupped her cheek and brought her forward so he could kiss the top of her head. "Thank you, Nick." She placed her paw over his and closed her eyes, relishing the touch of him. Letting out her own sigh, she took his paw from her face and, while still holding it tightly, turned and entered the shop.

The ringing bell above the door signaled the arrival of a new customer and it always filled Gideon with a warm glow. It always gave him a good feeling knowing that even though he had a troubled past that folks could still get past it and see who he was now. That, and it meant they liked his baked goods too. Moving the new pies into the oven, he brushed the flour from his paws and headed into the front. "Mornin' y'all, I jus' put in a new batch'a pies in th'- well bless ma soul, it's Judy. How are ya?"

"I'm doing good," Judy replied. "Had an interesting day the last time I was here."

"Tha's right. Them Nighthowlers. Ever figure out whatchu was lookin' for?"

"Yes we did, thank you very much Gideon. Your clue led us right to the mayor and we got to save Zootopia!"

"Aw shucks. I didn' do nothin'." Looking up to the other red fox behind her, he arched his brow. "This wouldn' be the 'we' part a your story, would he?"

"Gideon, this is Nick, my boyfriend," she beamed happily. Gideon looked a bit taken aback at that but smoothed his features quickly.

"Nick Wilde," Nick said stiffly, offering his paw forward. Gideon, not missing the oddly formal tone of the other fox, took his paw and shook it.

"Never figured you one for preds, Judy. 'Specially not after...ya know..."

"After you mauled her face?" Nick snapped, letting out a small growl. Judy, shocked by his actions, moved to chastise him when Gideon spoke up.

"Yeah. Yeah tha' was me. I wasn' a good kit. Didn' have it good at home and I let it control me. Not makin' no 'scuses, mind ya," he added hastily. "I know wha' I did. I spent a lotta time tryin' ta make up for ma mistakes." Nick's scowl lessened as he saw the turmoil going on within the larger fox. He could feel that he truly regretted his actions. And did he have a right to judge when he was trying to change his life around just like Gideon was?

"I can't say it's alright, because it's really not," Nick started, "but I can understand wanting to better yourself. To make up for past mistakes. And if Judy can accept your apology "He glanced down at her smiling face, "Then I think we can all get along just fine."

Gideon's round face broke out into a wide smile. "Well I think I can mos' definitely get behind tha', Mr. Wilde. Say, you all in the mood for some pie? I just pull'd a nice blueberry outta th' oven." Judy smiled as she watched Nick's tail begin to wag.

After spending nearly an hour in Gideon's store talking, and in Nick's case _eating_ , the couple found themselves wandering down Main Street taking in the limited sights. "I'm sorry, Nick. I thought there would be more to do today besides arrest a crooked deputy and eat pie."

"That's a regular Wednesday afternoon for me, Carrots." He winked as she giggled up at him. Passing by a store window, Nick pulled them to a stop. "What about this?" he asked, pointing to a flyer stuck to the glass.

"'Come see The Hare Raisers playing today in the Burrows Cafe.'" Judy looked over at tod. "You interested?"

Nick snickered. "The Hare Raisers, huh? Sounds like there'll be some music I'd enjoy."

"Great! Let's go! Cafe is just over there." Judy practically dragged Nick down the sidewalk, excited that there was something here that peaked her fox's interest. The cafe was not particularly large, especially not for a town that supported tens of thousands of bunnies, but for a slow Sunday afternoon it was just large enough for a group of mammals to squeeze into for the gig. "Oh hey! There's Sharla and Gareth." Judy bounced up and down waving to her two sheep friends in the corner of the room. Catching sight of the bouncing bunny, they moved across the room, Sharla giving her a big hug.

"Judy, I'm glad you're back. We heard all about what happened in Zootopia." Looking past her, she eyed the fox that Gareth had been cautiously analyzing. "Who's your friend, Jude?"

"Oh this is my boyfriend, Nick Wilde. He's an Academy Cadet." At the word 'boyfriend' their eyes widened a bit. Opening her mouth, Sharla began to say something when Judy cut her off. "Yes, he's a fox. Yes I was hurt by Gideon all those years ago. No it doesn't matter. I love him and that's final."

Gareth, who had been mostly silent, spoke to Judy. "Been getting those questions a lot, huh?" Judy nodded, a small blush starting. Gareth scratched his chin before addressing Nick. "Judy has always been a darn good judge of character so i say welcome to Bunnyburrow, Nick." He extended his hoof to the Vulpine. "Just make sure you take care of our Jude," he finished as he shook Nick's paw. The fox nodded before being squeezed by an overly excited sheep while Judy looked on in amusement.

"Alright Sharla. Off of him. He's my fox. You gotta find your own." Sharla giggled before releasing Nick who felt his ribs might have been bruised. _Farmers,_ he mused.

"Oh hey, it's Jessica!" Sharla shouted. Nick and Judy both looked up in alarm to see Jessica by the door, a look of similar alarm on her face as she saw them. Before she could move off, Sharla had already pushed through the crowd and grabbed her arm, dragging her back to the group.

An awkward silence fell between the trio, Sharla and Gareth looking on with mild befuddlement. "I'm sorry," Jessica eventually said. "I didn't mean to make you mad the first time and I'm really sorry about the second." The two sheep looked at each other, even more confused than before. Judy took a deep breath before wrapping her arms around her sister.

"It's okay, Jess. I forgive you." Looking back at Nick, he gave her a kind of wishy-washy hand gesture which she took to mean 'continue'. "And Nick forgives you too." Nick's jaw dropped, unsure how she had gotten _that_ out of a lame gesture. Jessica sniffled before hugging her sister back, a small smile making it's way onto her face. About to speak, Jessica pulled away from her sister when suddenly the lights were turned down.

"Oh, it's starting!" Sharla yelled, her thoughts echoed out by many in the crowd.

The stage blanketed in shadow, the rabbits in the crowd could hear the band members taking their positions. The group was unknown to Judy who had been away from Bunnyburrow for quite a long time but based on the size of the group watching them she gathered they must be pretty good. She wasn't sure what type of music they would play but judging by the way Nick kept hopping up and down in anticipation, he felt the music would definitely be his style. Although, now that Judy thought about it, she really wasn't sure what Nick's favorite genre was. He didn't own any records that she could see, she didn't think he even owned an iCarrotPod. Whenever they drove in his car, they always talked or listened to what was happening outside. She realized in that moment, that she really didn't know much about him. Vowing to get him to open up more about himself, she turned her gaze back to the stage.

The lights had gone up, revealing a brown rabbit on a glossy black guitar with silver pickups. Fiddling with the strings, he appeared slightly nervous until she saw him glance at a particular doe who blew him a kiss. _Of course. Performing for his girlfriend._ Another rabbit sat at a pair of marble blue drums, oddly a different size than a rabbit would normally use. It appeared to be the size for a fox but the extensions were customized to fit his height, allowing him to play comfortably. _Probably didn't have much cash and got it cheap because of the size._ A cougar sat at piano, his claws briefly touching the keys. He wasn't pressing them in, merely going back and forth in what appeared to be random movements. _Practicing his movements without giving away the songs._ A tan hare topped off the group at the mic. Subtlety flexing his throat, he did some nearly silent voice exercises. _Sounds like he's getting over a slight cold._ Judy smiled to herself as she exercised her training to read the mammals in front of her. _Of course_ , she though as she glanced up at her fox, _Nick's probably able to read them so well he could tell you what they were going to have for dinner._ She grinned as she came to understand the value of that skill and how much better it would make him as an officer. Being able to read a perp could make or break a case.

Strumming a few chords, the guitarist brought the attention of the audience to the stage. Taking their positions, the band fell silent causing a hush to fall over the crowd. The brown rabbit's paws suddenly flew into motion, the intro chords flying from his guitar.

[Thunderstruck - AC/DC]

With a final cymbal crash the song was over and the audience threw their paws up in exhilaration. Judy bounced up and down cheering as loud as she could. Looking over at her fox, she was ecstatic to see him grinning from ear to ear, his paws clapping together rapidly. Judy was also excited to know she had learned something new about him. He really enjoyed rock music. She barely had time to process this before the brown rabbit once again slid his paw over the strings.

[Won't get fooled again - The Who]

At the final note, the sound inside the cafe was deafening. Nearly every rabbit had to hold their ears down even as they shouted themselves. Nick's paws were cupped around his muzzle as he cheered right alongside them. A third time, the brown rabbit took center stage as the guitar began spitting out music.

[You really got me - The Kinks]

Throwing up their paws, the end of the song was drowned out by the cheers. The tan hare stepped back up to the mic and waved his paws several times before the crowd had quieted. "We're taking a ten-minute intermission. We'll be back." The stage darkened again, the figures fading into the back.

Judy came down from the high she was experiencing, the small band performance suddenly becoming the highlight of their day. She turned and hugged the the similarly excited tod next to her. "Isn't this fantastic? I'm so glad you suggested it."

"I know. It's been a pretty great show so far." A glint appeared in his eye as he softly extricated himself from Judy's firm grasp. "I'll be right back, Carrots. Here, in case the crowd is too overwhelming" He leaned down and swiped his chin over her shirt. Giving her a quick kiss, he moved out of the crowd heading for the far corner of the room. Sighing a bit sadly, Judy watched him go before turning back to their small group to see Sharla and Gareth looking at her strangely.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? What was with the chin swipe?" Sharla demanded.

"I developed a...condition...while I was away in Zootopia." Judy paused unsure if she should reveal the extent of that condition. Sharla's attitude told her she was going to make it necessary. A glance at Jessica for help had her sister nodding in agreement with Sharla. 'They should know' she mouthed. Judy looked down at the floor and shook her head. "I have to be able to smell Nick's scent at all times."

"What?" Sharla seemed confused. "That doesn't make any sense. What happens if you don't?"

"I die," she said plainly. Sharla and Gareth both blanched. "Yeah, so it's pretty serious. Had a close call last night when the group of my brothers and sisters swarmed over me. Lost his scent in the kerfluffle. It wasn't pretty." She felt Jessica put her arm over her. She grasped her paw, grateful for the support.

"Hey, it looks like the show is back on," Gareth cried, hoping to distract them all from the difficult topic they had been on.

"Oh no! Nick's not back yet. I hope he doesn't miss it."

"I'm sure he'll be back in just a minute, sis," Jessica said.

"I hope so."

The stage lights had come back on except for the spot at guitar. _Did he have to leave? How will this impact the performance without a guitar player?"_ From the dark, a fast guitar riff played out over the crowd leaving many confused faces. The lights finally rose to show the brown rabbit holding a bass guitar and another mammal manipulating the strings of the small lead guitar. _Oh my god. Is that...Nick?!_

[Highway Star - Deep Purple]

The final chord struck, Judy stood in awe at her fox standing on stage. He played beautifully, as if he had been an expert for years, which, she told herself, he very well could be. Jumping up and down next to her was her sister. Jessica had been squeaking with excitement as she had watched Nick perform, extremely jealous of her sister for finding such a mate. Judy had always fantasized about having a boyfriend in a band, although she knew that was a secret fantasy of most of her sisters. There was just something about a male and an instrument or their voice just playing right to them. Nick handed the small guitar back to the brown rabbit. His eyes sought out Judy and gave her a quick wink. Exchanging high-fives with the other members of the band he moved out back before the stage darkened again. Judy waited to see Nick come out from the stage so that she could tell him how wonderful he had been but before she saw him the lights had risen on stage. Once more, a section of the stage was shrouded in darkness and once more music flowed from it. An incredibly fast drum intro spilled over the crowed before the lights raised and revealed a red fox whose paws moved at lightning speed, the sticks in his paws a mere blur.

[Hot for teacher - Van Halen]

Judy was speechless as she watched Nick finish the song. Did she really know so little about him? How could someone have such expertise and not use it? Why didn't she see any band memorabilia or instruments in hi- _our_ house? He caught her eye and she saw his sly smirk cross over his muzzle before the lights fell again. _I'm gonna kill that fox. If he can play that well he should have been playing for me,_ she thought only half-joking. She waited for him to come off the stage but this time she had a strong feeling he wouldn't. As if to prove her right, the stage lights came back on except for the area with the piano. She watched as the cougar stood next to the hare as they went into the beginning lyrics, the light rising over a lone Vulpine sitting at the piano, his paws lightly touching the keys.

[Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen]

Judy dabbed her eyes trying not to cry at how beautiful he had played. He was ever surprising her with how much deeper he was than what she had thought when they first met. "I never knew he could play," she said to her sister.

A little taken aback, Jessica stared at her sister incredulously. "You don't know him at all, do you?"

Judy smiled as she watched the fox, _her_ fox, shake paws with the other band members, grinning widely the whole time. "Oh I know him. I truly do know him. I just don't know much about him." She felt her heart flutter as he spotted her and smiled wide, his walls down for her and her alone. "But I will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: huge thanks to Selaxes for letting me use his character 'Bailey' from 'Sounds of the heart'. I hope i did him justice.


	16. Chapter 20 - Day one on multiple fronts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Holy crazy chapter, Batman! I don't know how it reached this size, but this is almost twice as long as any chapter I've ever done, including the last day in Bunnyburrow. There was just so much to cover for both of them that I just couldn't stop. New ideas poured into my head like crazy! Anyways, sorry for the long delay in posting. Caught the flu and it knocked me out for three days. Three! I knew I had drunk the writer kool-aid when I was more upset for missing the writing time than I was glad to be able to read for those days. I truly hope everyone enjoys this chapter. It was fun to explore new angles including spending some time in the Academy.
> 
> Disclaimer: So...ummm...I had kidnapped the Board Chairman's kid to try and trade it for ownership of Zootopia. Turns out he uh, he doesn't actually have children? So I'm gonna need a place to lay low for a couple days and Zanrok was recently hauled away by pirates so that's out. Anyone know of a place before I check into a Holiday Inn?

Tossing his duffel bag into the corner of the room, Nick took a few moments to take in his surroundings that would ultimately be his home for the next six months. Relatively unimpressed, he surveyed the concrete walls with distaste. Whoever had designed the room had also taken it upon themselves to add a bit of paint to the drab gray of all concrete slabs. A dark blue coat spread upwards from the floor until about waist height for what appeared to be a medium-sized mammal, perhaps a wolf or small tiger, which meant it reached just about the top of Nick's chest. From there, the rest of the wall was what used to be white but had been neglected over the years so often that it had taken on a faded, off-white appearance. Luckily for Nick, both the room and the bed had been designed for a mid-size mammal, possibly a previous wolf instructor, and left plenty of room to spare which would come in handy for his situation. Said situation was currently sprawled on top of the mattress to his right.

"Mmm, it's such a big room, Nick." The small gray rabbit tried to sit up in the bed but was having a difficult time of doing so. "It's like the bed we have at home. Although it squeaks," she bounced to illustrate it. She poked at the mattress. "And it's lumpy," she grouched, her ears flopping down along her back as she pictured him sleeping in that room. The thought of not having her fox next to her at night from now on was a sobering thought for the emotional bunny and for a moment she wavered on their decision. "Are you sure you want to go through with this, Nick?" Pausing from unpacking his bag, the tod cocked his head to the side, mildly confused. Unable to keep his gaze, Judy cast her eyes downward watching her paw swirl through the sheet she was resting on. "I mean, wouldn't it be nicer to be at home? With me?"

Feeling a little angry with herself for allowing such selfish feelings to come to the surface, she waited to hear him chastise her, while another smaller part hoped he would say yes and abandon his goals just for her. Instead, she felt the bed shift, the springs creaking wildly as the touch of a soft paw beneath her chin made her raise her head to meet the intense gaze of her fox's brilliant green eyes. "Carrots." Nick's voice was soft and caring. "I know it's going to be hard. Trust me, I would love nothing more than to be next to you every night. But we both want this. I've always wanted to help people, I just never thought I'd get the chance. And being a partner to the first bunny cop in the history of Zootopia would be phenomenal." He picked her up and put her in his lap. Turning to face the mirror against the back of the door, Nick let out a big grin. "And don't we look so badass together already?"

Her ears perking up, Judy had to admit they looked pretty good. While Nick was dressed in a ZPA cadet uniform, Judy sat in her specially made police uniform complete with vest and feet wraps, her gleaming badge pinned tight to her chest. Today was her first day back since she resi-...'went undercover' against Bellweather. She would have to make sure she stuck with that story. Standing, she moved forward until she reached the edge of the bed, Nick's paws still holding tight as he was dragged along on his belly. Rolling her eyes, she pried them from her chest gaining a low cry or protest from the crumpled Vulpine as she jumped down to view herself in the mirror. Polishing her badge for felt like the hundredth time, she stood tall, ready to face the world and make it a better place. Smoothing down the uniform, she suddenly had a curious thought, one which quickly turned suspicious.

"Hey Nick?" Judy called sweetly. Getting a grunt in response, the fox's head still pushed deep into the mattress, she continued with an air of casualness. "When you were talking about liking me during the first case, what did that entail?"She caught a sudden jerk of motion behind her in the mirror, Nick suddenly looking a bit apprehensive. "I mean, was it my attitude, my drive, my personality," pausing she turned around to face him directly, her ears flopping to the side as she placed a paw on her hip and tilted her head, "or was it my sex appeal?" she asked brazenly, running her paw down her chest and over her wide hips, demonstrating that her form fitting suit revealed everything about her figure.

Nick knew without a shadow of a doubt that no answer here was the right one. Sure he had been very attracted to her the moment she had first taken that pose even though she was blackmailing him, but he never thought he'd be forced to admit that. He was never really sure why he had found her so attractive since bunnies had never made an impact on him before but then again most Vixen's didn't either. He supposed he was one of those tods who needed an emotional connection first which the rabbit certainly had caused in him pretty fast. He attempted to keep a stoic face, one he was well known for in underground poker leagues, but Judy had been analyzing him for weeks. She stared at him until she saw the faintest ear twitch, a slight move of his tail, and narrowed her eyes. Nick gulped and dropped the act. "There's no way out of this for me, so I'm just going to say I love everything about you, including your sex appeal." Waiting for the inevitable pounding his shoulder was going to receive, he clenched his eyes tight. The blow came, but not on his shoulder. It landed on his nose and was very gentle. Opening his eyes, he saw his bunny petting his nose before leaning in and rubbing her own against it.

"Good foxy." Pleased he was not going to be punished, he got up from the bed and headed for his duffel to retrieve a few things when he felt a sharp smack to his backside. Yelping, he turned quickly, shielding his butt from any further abuse only to see a pair of half-lidded violet eyes staring deep into his. "But such a very _bad_ bunny," she purred. Nick's scowl quickly turned into a grin as he launched himself at the bunny, her squeak of feigned fear only spurring him on. She dodged him for several seconds before the enclosed room betrayed her and left her pinned up against the wall, the fox's paws wrapped her waist keeping her tight to him.

"You are a bad bunny. A very... _very_ bad bunny," the fox growled. Tilting his head to the side, he opened his maw revealing a set of sharp canines. Judy's heart quickened, her desire to feel those teeth biting into her increasing with every inch he got closer to her. The forbidden hunger of craving those sharp fangs pressing into her skin made her moan as he came closer and clos-

BANG BANG BANG! _Nooooo...Why? Why does this always happen?_ Judy shut her eyes, the moment passing as someone slammed their paw against the door. "Hey foxy! It's time to join the ranks! Tell the fluff-butt it's time to go." Judy grimaced. _It_ would _be Ursula. I know she's my friend but right now I hate her with a passion._

"Be there in a minute, Ursula darling." Nick and Judy heard some mild cursing from the other side of the door, which sounded suspiciously like 'You're dead, slick Nick.' Smirking, Nick gestured for Judy to join him on the bed. Having her lie back, Nick slowly and thoroughly scented the front of her suit taking care to go over her vest and stomach. "I don't know how soon you'll be back, Carrots. So hopefully this tides you over until lunch," he explained. Pulling a sealed plastic bag from his duffel, he opened it to reveal the red kerchief they always kept around. Opening it, Nick pulled out the fabric and turned away from Judy. He carefully angled his cheek and rubbed it up and down the cloth, spreading his mark onto the material. Immediately, the smell of fox enveloped the area causing Judy's arousal to spike. Nick quickly sealed it away, the smell dissipating slowly and handed it to Judy. The bunny tried to hide her sigh of disappointment, not wanting to ruin her fox's big day. _I wish he would mark me. I'm sure it would help. It probably lasts longer._

_Uh-huh, and until you get control of your baser instincts you'd also be humping his leg every day._

_"What's wrong with that? We already act like mates. We live together, we sleep together, we don't hide our relationship at all, and we both know we're in it forever. Why won't he mark me?_

_He's dealing with 25 years of teachings that's been beaten into his brain about how serious it is for foxes to mate. You know he loves you. It's just a matter of patience. Give him some time. Besides it's what? Five? Six months until winter? If he doesn't make a move by then his own instincts will do it for him._

Judy smirked to herself. _I hope it doesn't take him that long but that would certainly be an interesting first time._

An overly faked cough brought her out of her thoughts and she glanced around seeing an amused Nick standing next to the bed. "I've gotta get going, Carrots and you have work, so _hop_ to it."

Judy groaned. "That was awful, Nick."

Nick smirked at her. "You know you love me."

"Do I know that?" Judy sashayed over to the tod whose eyes grew wide while watching her hip movements. Reaching up she grasped his collar and dragged him to her level, not stopping until he was on his knees before her. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips passionately to his, her tongue licking his lips until he opened them automatically. Their tongues danced around one another, Nick enjoying the little tongue of his bunny licking over his fangs while Judy loved the feeling of his long one touching the roof of her mouth. Reluctantly breaking the kiss, Judy pulled back, locking her eyes to his. "You know I do, sweetie."

* * *

Standing out in the parking lot, Judy looked back at the Academy building. She had many fond memories there, and also many not-so fond as well. It had taken her months to build up the respect of the staff and her fellow cadets but eventually she had won them over with her tenacity and hard work. She hoped that Nick would be similarly fortunate to have other cadets see more than just a fox. Getting ready to leave, she suddenly became aware of one important thing she had forgotten to do for this morning. She didn't have a ride to work.

Panicking slightly, she ran through several scenarios in her mind, dismissing them almost immediately. She couldn't take Nick's car. First of all she couldn't operate it, it was the wrong size. Second, that was his emergency vehicle if he had to reach her. The bus was also out. It didn't arrive for another forty-five minutes and rollcall started in half an hour. Desperate to make a good impression on her first day back, she pulled her cell phone and dialed one of the few numbers she had memorized since coming to Zootopia.

With each ring Judy's paw gripped around the phone tighter, her hopes slowly fading. It was with a sigh of relief that the voice that came on the other end of the line paused in his greeting. "Hello?"

"Ben! Oh good, I'm so glad you answered."

Judy could almost see the smile on the portly cheetah's face as he sucked in a sharp breath. "O-"

"M Goodness, yeah Ben I know." Judy wasn't proud of cutting him off but she was really in a bind and had to hurry if she was going to make roll call.

"Oh you're no fun, Judy." She knew he was pouting and it made her feel even more guilty.

"Ben I need a favor. And if you can arrange it, I'll tell you all about Nick's first trip to Bunnyburrow," she quickly rattled off, knowing that would peak his interest and get her off the hook.

On the other end of the line, Clawhauser was struggling to bring himself upright, his excitement nearly knocking him off his chair. "Just say the word, little Missy and I'll have it done!"

"I'm at the Academy and I just realized I need a ride. I didn't plan this out that well and now I'm stranded."

Clawhauser's grin grew so large she could practically hear it over the phone. "And what were you doing at the Academy? Seeing off a nice little fox were we?"

Sighing, Judy quietly mumbled into the phone. "Yes, I was seeing him get settled. For more than one reason and you know it, Ben. So please don't talk about it that loud in the office."

Wincing, the large mammal quickly apologized. "I think Wolford lives out that way. I'll see if he has left yet and text you if he can get you."

"Okay thanks, Ben." Hanging up the phone, she took a seat on one of the wooden benches outside the wall. Judy found herself with nothing to do except wait, which was quite possibly the most agonizing thing she could experience. For a bunny, sitting still went against their very instincts. There was a reason rabbits were great farmers. Up before the sun, brimming with energy, they could work the fields for hours on end before even feeling the need to slow down for lunch and then it was right back to burning off their pent-up energy. It was also why they had so many kits. When you have so much energy left to expel and the sun's gone down so farming is out of the question, there aren't very many things left you can do. For Judy, chasing down bad guys and arresting them gave Judy enough of an outlet to handle her overall levels. Even still, there were many nights where she would go for an extra run to try and burn off any excess left, That was until she moved in with Nick. _And now that Nick is off to the Academy, I guess I'll have to start those runs again._

Her phone buzzed. ***Hay Jdy. Wolfred sed hed b ther in 5*** She giggled at the cheetahs horrible spelling, even for texting speak. _He must be using one of those voice text apps._ Typing a quick response, she thanked Ben and occupied herself with a new game on her smartphone that Jessica had mentioned. 'Angry Bunnies'. Concept of the game was to get back the carrots stolen by foxes. "What else? _"_ she said to herself bitterly. Tapping the rabbit to bounce it further, she watched it stomp on the fox's head making it explode in a poof. "Foxes don't even eat carrots." She tapped the second rabbit this time getting two foxes at the same time. "Yes!" She clapped a paw to her mouth in embarrassment. _Why am I enjoying this game? I'm a bunny in a relationship_ with _a fox. I should be appalled by this._ Flicking open the icon to close it, she saw multiple listings for friends and their scores. Intrigued, she keyed it and a list of over 200 popped up. Most of the names were family members, most with an impressively high score. But the name at the top shocked her. "WildeHopps" she muttered. "That damn fox."

The sound of a horn shook her from her thoughts, although not without filing it away for a later conversation with Nick. Hopping off the bench, she pocketed her phone and headed for the black cruiser idling a little ways away from her. Throwing open the overly large door for a mammal of her size, she clambered up into the chair and started hauling the seat belt down. Wolford, a charcoal colored Timber wolf, sat in amused silence watching her struggle with the large belt before clearing his throat. "There's a smaller belt in that zippered pocket, Hopps. Right there on the chair. Yeah that's it." He grinned widely, his fangs flashing before he realized the sight might scare the rabbit.

Finished with the smaller belt, Judy sat down and tightened the restraints making sure she was safe and secure. Glancing at her wolf co-worker sideways, she grimaced as he forced his lips shut. "You're fine, Wolford. It's not like I don't see enough teeth in this job. Second day I was almost eaten by a jaguar, remember? You can let yourself relax."

Feeling reassured, Wolford let his lips relax as his jaw fell slightly open. "You're pretty open for a prey, Hopps."

"Judy.

"What?"

She turned to look at him. "I like to be called 'Judy'. When we're working professionally, Hopps is better, but when we're just two co-workers chatting, or friends if you'd like, I prefer to be called by my name."

The timber wolf pondered over that for a few moments. Rarely had he ever had a prey mammal, especially one as small as a bunny, offer to be a friend. Grinning, he put his paw over to her, noticing she didn't flinch in the slightest. "Freddie." Judy smiled and took the offered paw, hers dwarfed by the very large one that she was now holding. "So, _Judy_ , what brings you to the Academy on such a fine Monday morning?"

Judy pulled at her ear trying to hide the blush that was forming. "I uh...I was seeing Nick off to his first day."

Wolford scratched his head. "Is Nick the one that stopped by to see Bogo a couple weeks ago." Judy nodded.

"Yeah, he was there to officially apply for the Academy. After he helped us with the Missing Mammals and Nighthowler cases, Bogo and I thought he should apply."

"Figured something had happened when Nick was there." Seeing Judy glance his way, a look of curiosity on her face, he clarified. "Bogo seemed really off that afternoon. Distracted. He barely even yelled during the afternoon briefing. Something Nick said must have got to him."

Tapping her chin, the gray rabbit tried to think of anything Nick had said that would imply something had happened between him and Bogo but she couldn't recall anything. "If something did happen, Nick was pretty quiet about it." Wolford just nodded. Noticing him doing something odd, she watched as he kept breathing in a little heavier every other breath. _He's drawing a scent,_ she figured. She had seen nick do it on occasion, especially when they were cuddled together. He had said it gave him a feeling of comfort. Judy understood this perfectly as she needed to do the same with Nick. "Hey Freddie?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you trying to draw a scent? It's just the two of us in here."

Looking embarrassed, Wolford cringed slightly. "You could tell that, huh?"

Judy scoffed. "First off, I'm a cop. We tend to pick up on things like that, don't we? Second, I live with a fox. Third, I know more than you ever will about the importance of drawing a scent." Slightly peeved, she turned to look out the window, preferring to stare at the buildings as they cruised by on their way to the precinct.

Feeling some tension, the pair decided to sit in silence for a few minutes which was fine with Judy. Wolford however lost the battle with his curiosity. "You live with a fox?" The bunny groaned loudly. She had appreciated the silence and was wishing they would go back to it, but apparently wolves, like a certain fox she knew, had an insatiable curiosity that would never stop.

"Yes Freddie. Me and Nick live together."

"Well that explains the smell," he murmured. Suddenly realized that she could probably hear him with those giant ears of hers, he quickly glanced over to see her glaring at him. Quickly he attempted to explain before things got out of hand. "I could smell 'fox' on you when you got in the car. I was trying to place why but if you live together that would explain it. Although not the intensity," he finished with a raised brow and an unasked question.

Sighing, she figured Ben would have spilled the beans to everyone by now and that Wolford was simply looking for official confirmation. "Yes,, we're more than roommates."

"Are yo-wait, are you _mate_ mates?"

"Well, he doesn't like to call it that yet." The sadness in her voice was very telling. "We will be, I mean we practically are, but he has some things to work through."

He nodded, his eyes roaming the streets as they made it into downtown, keeping careful watch for pedestrians or petty crime. 'Off the clock' meant something different for police officers. "It's understandable. Foxes are probably the most serious mammals out there in regards to mating for life." Judy nodded, her thoughts back on Nick. "Umm," Wolford started, uncertain how to phrase what was bugging him. "You also said something about drawing a scent and knowing more than I do? Care to explain that?"

"Not...really?" Wolford settled back while nodding to show he understood. He was never one to purposefully pry into another's private life even if he was overly curious. "Buuut..." His ears, which had been laying down while he chastised himself quickly perked back up. Looking over excitedly, he saw Judy had pulled one of her ears over the front of her face and was lightly wringing it in her paws in nervousness, the other laying down her back. "Since we're working together, it might come up. So it's better to know in case of an emergency."

"Okay. makes sense. I think." The confusion on his face would have been very amusing to Judy had the situation not involved a rather personal fact.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out slow, gathering herself. "I was affected by a Scent Bond." Seeing the Lupine's face contort into even further confusion, she elaborated. ''Rare bunny condition that makes it so I need to draw a particular scent or my heart shuts down."

Concern immediately flashed over Wolford. "Is there anything anyone can do? Anything I can do?"

She smiled sadly, grateful for his concern over her and willingness to help. "No. It's permanent. No cure. No real treatment, besides Nick's scent. That's why I smell like him and why it's so strong. He had to saturate my uniform otherwise I can't really move beyond twenty feet from him. As for doing anything? If I start to lose his scent and it looks like I'm having a fit or collapse or scream, there's a kerchief in my pocket. Get it to me and call Nick immediately. That's all anyone _can_ do," she added softly, turning her gaze outside the window once more.

* * *

Wolford had parked the cruiser in the parking garage and had started to get out when he felt a small paw on his arm. Settling back into his seat, he shot the bunny a look. "F-Freddie," she started, unsure if she was supposed to use his name or not. Not hearing any objections, she continued on. "I'd, um, I'd like to keep this to ourselves for the time being. It's a very sensitive issue for me and I don't want everyone to look at me differently because of it." Cocking his head, Wolford thought about her request. Judy tried not to giggle at the very Nick-like posture it gave him. When he finally nodded, Judy let out a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding. "Bogo and Clawhauser already know so if you _do_ have to say something they can be trusted."

"You told Ben? How did you get him to stay quiet?"

"I made him swear on Gazelle." she replied smugly.

Whistling, Wolford appraised her in a new light. "That would do it. Guess we don't mess with Hopps anymore, huh?" Judy smiled at the wolf, one that conveyed no harsh feelings but yet sent a small shiver up his spine that he couldn't place as she hopped down from the cruiser and made her way into the building.

Passing through the lobby, Judy paused and stared at her home away from home. She felt good to be there in uniform again. Striding with the confidence she had felt since she was a kit, Judy made her way towards Clawhauser's desk. Nimbly hopping up onto it, she stifled a giggle at the portly dispatch officer dancing while listening to his iCarrotPod. His back to her, he was completely unaware of her presence. Hearing Gazelle coming from the device, she caught herself from rolling her eyes. She loved Gazelle too but Clawhauser was known for overdoing it. Recognizing her favorite song, 'Try Everything', she waited for the opportune moment. As soon as it hit 'those new mistakes' she jerked off the headphones , put her lips to his ear, and screamed "CLAWHAUSER!"

If the cheetah had been 100 pounds lighter, they would have had to pry him from the ceiling. As it was, Ben Clawhauser had collapsed to the floor clutching his chest so hard that Judy feared she had given him a heart attack. The calming face of her friend told her her fears were unfounded and she allowed herself to relax. "You evil little bunny," he scolded her, a smile plastered across his mug. "You just wait, Judy. I _will_ get you back for that."

Grinning widely, she waved her paw flippantly, unconcerned with his threat. "Thank you, Ben. Without you and Wolford I wouldn't have gotten here on time so that was very helpful."

"So," purred the big cat. "When do I get to hear all about Nick's weekend in Bunny central? Ooo! Let's go to lunch. There's a new diner that opened up on the corner. Supposed to be pred/prey friendly." He looked so enthusiastic that Judy felt awful she had to turn him down.

"I'm sorry, Ben. My lunch breaks have to be spent at the Academy." The hurt look on his face cut her deep, her stomach roiling with guilt. "Buuut," she started, noticing how Clawhauser's face lit up with such a simple word, "if I finish the assignment Bogo gives me early then we can spend a bit of time chatting before I have to leave. Sound good?"

Clawhauser jumped up and down gleefully. "I hope you don't mind, Judy. But I hope Bogo gives you something easy."

Judy laughed but on the inside she had a feeling he would get his wish. Bogo may find her a worthy officer now, but coming off an injury usually meant something light duty. She grimaced as she could almost hear Bogo now. ' _Parking duty.'_ The unpleasant thought stayed with her as she said goodbye to Clawhauser and headed for the bullpen. Her apprehension stayed with her as she walked into the room, unsure of what to expect, either from her boss or her fellow officers. The door swinging shut behind her, she audibly gulped as every officer in the room turned to her, their faces unreadable andtheir stiff body language giving off nothing. The tiny rabbit froze, feeling over a dozen pairs of eyes staring at her. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, she waved meekly, unsure of what to do when a loud booming voice echoed out throughout the room. "Welcome back, Hopps!" cried a rhino at the front of the room. The cheers from every officer present followed in kind. Her fears washed away, she walked towards her seat, beaming proudly.

"Way to go, Hopps!"  
"Congrats on the big case."  
"Glad you're back, Hopps."

A few back slaps later, Judy found herself nearly propelled down to the front row, many of the larger mammals not understanding exactly how strong they were compared to her. Once again gazing up at the edge of her chair she scrambled onto the top as she did on her first day, just happy to be taking her seat after so many weeks away. It didn't even bother her that she still needed to continue standing just to see over the table. A grunt from her right had her turning to see the rhino who had cheered for her when she entered the room.

"Ready to make the world a better place?" McHorn asked, a smile forming on his face as he raised his hoof for a bump. Judy stared at the offered hoof for a couple of seconds before raising her eyes to the rhino officer. Beginning slowly, a small quirk at the edges of her mouth, the smile rapidly spread into a happy grin. Bring her own paw up, she lightly pressed it to his hoof.

"Pretty much was born ready." Feeling happy but also a little sad at mirroring what Nick had said all those years ago, she hoped she did him justice on it. McHorn for his part noticed a slight dimming in the brightness of the spirited rabbit's eyes and chose not to comment, preferring instead to turn and talk to his own partner beside him, giving her a moment to compose herself. Luckily for her, a distraction came in the form of an enormous cape buffalo who, as he walked through the door, caused a great uproar from the officers in the room as they pounded their paws on the tables. Feeling a sudden urge, Judy did something she had not done previously and joined in, raising quite a few eyebrows from some of her fellow officers behind her.

"All right, all right. Knock it off! Sit down." The Chief bellowed at his officers until they took their seats. Her head still barely over the table, the bunny stayed standing, ready to receive her first orders back. "I have three items on the docket. First, Officer Hopps is back from medical leave and will be resuming her duties. Welcome back, Hopps." The other officers cheered again. When she had first started at Precinct One, not a single mammal in that room would have given her the time of day. But now, after solving two major cases in her first few months on the force, they had all realized that the smallest member of their family was full of surprises. "Enough!" Quieting the mammals with a single shout, Bogo's stern glare passed over the room. "Second, We have a string of robberies happening in Tundratown. Electronic stores have been hit and it looks as if very specific parts are being taken. Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, head out there see what you can dig up." Holding out the file, Bogo handed it to the tigress without looking continuing after they had left the room. "Third, we have a new biker gang causing trouble in Sahara Square. McHorn, Johnson, take em down." The second file disappeared as he casually looked at his officers. "The rest of you, standard patrols, same regions as last week. Hopps, wait here." Grimacing, knowing what was to come next, she watched as her fellow officers filed out of the room before turning her attention back to the Chief.

"Parking Duty?"

"Parking Duty."

* * *

"I've never going to call Carrots weak again," the gasping Vulpine swore. "Not even as a joke."

What Nick had figured would be an easy morning with what he imagined would be an initiation, a course breakdown, maybe a quick run through of the drills he was expecting had turned into the pits of hell. The first thing the polar bear, which he now directly associated with his own personal demon torturer, had done was hustle all of the new cadets into the backfield and line up and rip into their cowering hides.

_"I am Major Friedkin. You will address me as Major or Ma'am at all times. Is that clear?!"_

_"Yes Major!" came the collective thunderous shout of twenty raw cadets._

_"I am not your friend. I am not your ally. I am most certainly not your mother." Turning to scan each and every face in the group, the Major bared her teeth earning a shudder from even the toughest predators there save for one. She narrowed her gaze at the small fox whose stoic muzzle gave nothing away, his own fear, if he was experiencing it, locked behind a perfect mask. Shrugging internally the bear continued her shakedown, walking up the line of cadets, analyzing each one. "I don't want to hear anything about your problems. You have a beef with another cadet? You deal with it on your own. If you feel it will come to fighting, you put your gloves on and take it out on each other in the ring. If you feel an instructor is being harsh on you? I don't want to hear it. They decide your grades, not me. The being said, if at any point in time any of you feel you are being targeted because of your species, by_ any _mammal here, you bring it to me directly. Speciesm_ is _not, and_ will _not, be tolerated at my Academy." Reaching the end, she paused in front of the fox, still unable to get any reading from him which unnerved her, if only slightly. Turning on her hindpaw, she stalked back up the line. "Unless you are bleeding enough to die or something broke, you don't stop. Out in the field officers don't have the option to pause and put a band-aid over a boo-boo. If you can walk, you can run. Now let's see you run. 20 laps, around the campus! Move!"_

At first Nick had felt that running would be relatively easy for him. He had needed to get away quickly before if a hustle had gone wrong or he ran into someone from his past that didn't exactly have a favorable opinion of him. But he failed to realize that a short sprint through back alleys and parked cars does not equate to a 10-mile run around the campus. Halfway through, his feeble lungs felt as if they were on fire, ready to collapse at a moment's notice. "Pick it up, Foxy!" Nick, his patience at it's end, turned to snap at the offending polar bear only instead to see one of his classmates, a tigress, next to him. Her pace slowed to match his, she grinned at him showing a mouth full of razors designed to shred any flesh they encountered. Slapping him on the back hard enough to push him forward a few feet, she gave him a quick wink before increasing her pace. "You're making us look bad!" she called back.

Shaking his head, Nick put as much effort into his legs as he could, his body protesting vigorously as his limbs began shaking. An image of the tigress's teeth fresh in his mind, it triggered another memory, one of a black jaguar with a scar along his eye, feral roars coming from within a deranged mind of pure savagery and the overwhelming fear it caused. Renewed with a surge of adrenaline, the fox leapt into high gear, his paws frantically digging into the soil letting them carry him along, his mind conjuring the image of a rainy night one thousand feet above the ground...

Once the exhausted creature had finally dragged itself back into the courtyard, his lungs burning for the blessed oxygen he could no longer obtain, he allowed himself to collapse into the dirt which felt more welcoming than the finest bed in all of Zootopia. He surrendered himself to the earth beneath him, willing to dig the hole into his own grave himself if it freed him from this torture. His ear twitched as the sound of light snickering reached them. Blearily opening an eye, he stared aimlessly trying to find the source of the irritating sound only to realize it was coming from some of his own classmates while they smirked down at his prone body. Unable to muster the strength for even a light snarl, the drained fox begrudgingly hauled himself to his feet, staggering a little at the lack of strength he had left. Slipping behind the mask once again, Nick casually waved at some of his fellow cadets who stared at him with amusement. He can't say that he blamed them for being skeptical. At 32 years old he was well out of the desired age bracket most officers go into the Academy at. Plus, while being a street hustler padded his bank accounts nicely, it did very little to help with his physique. He knew what it was going to take to get him up to shape to survive this ordeal, he just wasn't looking forward to it. Seeing some other mammals a bit winded was a relief, he wasn't the only one out of breath, but no one else had collapsed onto the ground. No on else was panting so heavily or leaning on their knees for support.

"Alright Cadets! Jumping jacks! Count 'em off!" Nick, now muttering horrible threats of death and anguish at the polar bear instructor, forced his shaking limbs to do the bidding of the awful puppet master.

* * *

"Oh thank god. Lunch!" Nick had never heard such a glorious sound as the bell outside of the campus signaling for all cadets to break for lunch. They were allowed an hour to get fed and showered for their afternoon sessions, which the wonderful Major had informed them would start on the environment simulators. One of Nick's biggest fears coming in was how to tackle some of those obstacles. He knew how to handle the sand storms. He had been through enough of them over the years when hustling the pawpsickle deal with Finnick. And after living homeless for years off and on crawling through mud barely made him bat an eye. No, it was the dreaded ice wall that worried him the most. He was never great at climbing. It just wasn't something most canines did which surprised him how many wolves there actually were on the force. And, after having been threatened on multiple occasions of an icy bath, the open patch of freezing water below the wall did not hold much attraction to him either. It would take a lot for him to overcome that particular obstacle. But luckily, he had an hour, a whole blessed hour away from the cruel taskmaster that was the Major and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

Finding a reserve of energy he didn't even know existed, Nick practically sprinted for the doors leading into the building, earning several chuckles from the cadets coming up behind him. He overheard several jokes about tying food to a stick and seeing how fast the fox made it through training but he didn't care. He needed food. Joining the queue, Nick scooped whatever he saw in front of him onto his plate, not really caring what he got just as long as he got a lot of it. His selections having been made and his stomach grumbling ceaselessly, he found a spot nearby and plopped himself down onto the large plastic chair. The curved hardened material felt as if it were the softest cushion he had ever placed his hindquarters upon after the morning he had just endured. So focused on devouring the food in front of him, Nick missed the scraping of the chairs around him being pulled out.

"Hey Foxy." Nick glanced up, only just then realizing several other mammals had taken their places at his table. Wary of the added company, he fell back on his old hustler training and analyzed the individuals now sitting with him. The speaker to his immediate right was the tigress from earlier that morning. Average sized with a fair built of toned muscle, she carried herself with an easy grace, with a kind of aloof presence. Her smile was genuine if at least a little mischievous. Across from him sat a white wolf. A little on the lean side, he seemed fairly laid back but Nick could tell that if he had watched him walk over he would have seen a touch of an arrogant swagger. The wolf's muzzle remained neutral, merely studying the smaller canine as if unsure which way to feel about him. The last mammal, a cheetah, sat next to the wolf across from the tigress. His face was all too easy to read. He watched as the feline's jaw grit down tightly, annoyed at having to sit at the table with the fox. Judging on the last two's behavior, Nick surmised that the tigress would be the leader of their little clique and were only sitting down to follow her. "Quite a rough time out there today, huh?"

Nick simply shrugged, loading his fork with another serving of mashed potatoes. He wasn't used to mammals approaching him like this and decided to play it slow. Figure out what they were after and act accordingly. His response got a rise out of the cheetah, the cat's tail twitching angrily back and forth, his eyes narrowing into thin slits. The tigress meanwhile lost none of her smile, her form as relaxed as it had been before. Unless she was a very good actress, Nick couldn't read any negativity coming from her, at least where he was concerned. Deciding to play along, he finished his last mouthful and sat upright, pressing into the back of the seat. "I guess I'm just too old to be keeping up with you cubs. You could take it easier on poor old gramps, couldn't ya?" This earned him a smirk from the wolf and a light chuckle from the tigress. Nick turned his eyes to the cheetah who turned his face away in a huff, unwilling to look directly at the smaller mammal. The tigress, following the fox's gaze, saw the attitude of the cheetah and decided to take action. Grabbing a baby carrot off of Nick's plate, she flung it at the cheetah's ear, scoring a direct hit.

"Chad. Stop being a jackass. Foxy here ain't done nothing wrong so you don't have a right to be sitting there all judgmental. Join the table or find another." Chad, seeming a bit off balance at being rebuked by the tigress, scowled before turning his attention to his plate, preferring to feign disinterest in the small Vulpine rather than risk the ire of his fellow striped cadet. "Sorry about him," the tigress apologized. "He's got a superiority complex a mile long."

"Oh then we should be best buds real soon," Nick joked. "Lots in common."

Laughing outright now, the tigress leaned over and slapped him on the back. "You're alright Foxy. I'm Lylah. That's Tom," she said, indicating the wolf who raised a paw in a lazy acknowledgment, "and Chad obviously."

"Nick Wilde," he replied, extending his paw to each in turn. Chad refused to take it for several seconds but as Nick caught and held his gaze, his signature smirk never once fading, Chad eventually reached out and briefly shook his paw just to get the smaller mammal to stop staring at him.

"So what brings you to the Academy?" Lylah inquired, turning to her own plate of food. She toyed with her potatoes before starting in on the tofu. "I don't think there's ever been a fox that's joined up before."

"That's because they're all a bunch of sleazy, lying, thie-"

"CHAD!" Lylah was staring daggers at the cheetah who paled slightly at the look she gave him but refused to give up on the point he was trying to make.

"We all know it! We're all thinking it! Probably bribed or blackmailed his way in here. It's probably some scam. No _fox_ would ev-"

"That's enough!" The tigress roared. They were starting to draw attention to their little table, something Nick had wanted to avoid for as long as possible. "Leave. Now." The cheetah was flabbergasted. The thought of her sticking up for a lowly fox confused him greatly and it was all he could do not to sit there babbling as he instead got up and stalked off. "And one more word from you like that and I _will_ take it to the Major!" Turning back to the table, Lylah noticed the crushed fork in her paw. "Oh great. I gotta stop doing that."

"Destroying silverware?" Nick quipped.

The tigress sighed. Her eyes shifted between the fox and the wolf, both of who were casually looking at her. "No. I have a bit of a...temper issue. Especially when it comes to speciest comments like that."

"Well, thanks for that," Nick raised his next forkful of food as a toast. "To my fair knight for rescuing this damsel in distress." This time it was the wolf that laughed.

"Alright. I'm in Lylah. I can work with this guy." Sitting back, Tom took a swig from his water cup before smacking his lips and grabbing his own fork.

"Amen to that," Nick cried out. "I have no idea what I just agreed to but I need some sort of distraction else I'll go mad with all my crazy plots in my own head. So, you were asking why I was here?" Lylah nodded, her jaw working it's way through the rather uncooked vegetables. "Well the short of it is, I got tired of toeing the line of the law and decided to join up so I could help mammals, something I had given up on for a very long time."

"And by 'toeing the line' you mean..." Tom let the question hang in the air, fairly certain he had an idea of what the answer was.

"I was a con-mammal. Oh yes, yes, I know you're shocked," he grinned at the other two mammals whose expressions had dipped slightly. "How could a debonair gentlemammal like myself ever have been such a nefarious scoundrel. It so doesn't fit the fox stereotype at all." Inwardly wincing a little at having revealed a bit of himself to his new friends, he wasn't sure how they would take it. Lylah was the one to ask the obvious question.

"If you were a con-mammal, how did you end up getting accepted to the Academy?"

"Well, it's a long and boring tale that would take exactly forty-eight hours to tell properly, but suffice it to say I helped the city out of a couple of seriously tight jams over the last few months. That and the personal recommendation of Chief Bogo and the officer I worked with opened the door for me to, change my spots, as it were."

Silence fell over the table for a few moments before Tom grunted. "Must have been one tight jam."

"You wouldn't even begin to believe it." Nick's grin stretched so far it threatened to break his muzzle. "So Lylah, what made you want to join?" Nick was enjoying the friendly banter although he wasn't certain if he had been truly accepted after hearing about his past.

"Justice." Both Nick and Tom's ears perked up at the low growl coming from the feline. Seeing their reactions, Lylah turned her gaze down to her plate and glared at it as if it were the thing she loathed most in the world. "My mother's boyfriend was assaulted a few years ago. They were out on a date and he got jumped by a small group who attacked him."

"Was your mother okay?" Inquired Nick, his gaze still down at his unfinished food. The conversation was not uninteresting to him, in fact it interested him greatly. He had always hated the gangs than ran around Zootopia and looked forward to the day when he could do more than just avoid them for his owns safety. Shaking her head, Lylah grimaced at the thought of what could have happened.

"They didn't touch her. Their interest was in Robert. Bob was..." Hesitating, the young tigress shifted her eyes to the two other mammals at the table, trying to gauge their reactions at what she was about to say. "Bob was different. You see, the group was all felines. A mix of tigers and jaguars. And Bob...well, he was a moose." She watched carefully to see how they both reacted. Tom seemed surprised but to his credit said nothing. Nick meanwhile merely flicked an ear, his interest caught.

No one said anything for about a minute until Tom broke the silence. "That's...interesting."

"You got a problem with interspecies dating, Tom?" The tone from Lylah signaled she wouldn't take kindly to anyone bad mouthing her mother's boyfriend.

"No, I don't. Actually I always found them intriguing," the wolf replied. "I'm not one for them myself of course. I just don't see any attractive qualities from non-wolves. I'm not saying other mammals aren't attractive," he hastily added. "I mean you're obviously very attractive, Lylah." Hearing himself say those words shocked the wolf cadet and he scrambled to cover himself. "I mean, I'm sure you are. To other tigers I mean. Not that you aren't, cause you are, I just, I- I'm gonna just stop talking now." Hiding his head, he waited with baited breath, Tom praying the large feline moved on from her desire to put him in the firing line. He got his wish as the tigress grunted bemusedly before turning her head to Nick.

Nick shrugged, loading his fork with another bite of food. "I'm dating a bunny." Letting the words hang in the air, Nick casually glanced at each of his table mates. He was rather amused by Tom's hanging jaw, the Lupine not realizing his tongue was starting to drip saliva onto his plate. A look of admiration on the face of Lylah was unexpected but appreciated. It seemed he had found some acceptance here in the Academy. Before the two could question him further, the Major stomped into the room.

"Wilde. The mammal you are meeting with is here." Standing up, Nick excused himself from the table and walked over to the large polar bear before passing by her and heading towards his room. "20 minutes until simulations, cadet!" Giving her a casual wave showing he heard and acknowledged the time limit, Nick quickly headed down the hallway, pausing only for a few seconds once he reached his bedroom door. Bracing himself, he slowly let the door swing open wide before entering. Immediately his vision was obscured by a bolt of gray fur slamming into him. Feeling himself being dragged into the room, he was vaguely aware of the door closing shut before being pushed back onto the bed, a warm body now wrapped tightly around his chest.

"Mmm, god you smell good."

Chuckling, Nick tried and failed to unlatch the gray rabbit hooked around his neck. The weight of her on his body was not an unpleasant one. In fact if he could stay here like this all day he would in a heartbeat. However, life is rarely as kind to those who wish for such things. "Carrots, I need to shower. I only have another 20 minutes before I have to be back out on the course. And we still haven't scented your clothes. Besides, I'm all sweaty. This can't be that enjoyable for you."

"I know you are, Nick. Trust me, I can tell. I just...I don't know how to explain it." Rubbing her face in the scruff of his neck, Judy breathed deeply, the intoxicating smell giving her what she had been craving all morning. "It helps just like your normal scent. Just, you know, a few times stronger."

"Well, as weird as that is, I still need to go get this smell off of me, and unless you want to go back to the precinct smelling like sweaty fox, I suggest you stay here while I go take a quick shower." Grunting, the bunny released her hold on his neck and sat on the bed, her arms crossed sullenly. Feeling slightly guilty at having shrugged her off, Nick leaned down and pressed his lips to hers briefly before pulling away and letting a small smile sneak across his muzzle. "And if we have a bit of spare time we'll see what we can do about some sort of... extra attention."

* * *

Leaving the campus a bit more worked up but infinitely happier than when she had arrived, Judy got into the meter maid mobile and started the long drive back to Savannah Central. Luckily, with the special requirements Bogo had implemented for her returning to work, she was not at all concerned with running late. After all there was only so much distance one could cover each hour in the 'three-wheeled joke mobile' as her fox liked to refer to the small vehicle. Keeping one ear trained for the occasional sound of a meter going over, she mulled over the short visit she had gotten with her red-furred partner.

Judy was having difficulty coming to terms with being alone again. She got to see Nick morning, noon, and night, but it wasn't like before. She wasn't going to be able to wake up to his beautiful face or go to sleep wrapped in his arms. She wouldn't get to feel the spray of a hot shower while they lathered each others bodies. It would be 6 months before she would feel whole again. It made her sick. _I finally get him back after such a long time, finally get to experience love, and then it's ripped from my paws all over again._ For a moment she considered sneaking into his dorm room and living there with him. _I could hide under the bed during the day and be with him during the night,_ she thought with a smile, only half-serious. Shrugging the daydream aside, she continued on her way to the precinct to refuel the car before heading out on patrol again.

Finding a spot near downtown, the three-wheeled joke mobile found residence in it's own parking spot before the long-eared officer began trudging down the street. It was probably her least favorite job to do on the force. It reminded her of the first two days of her career. The first morning of her employment had seen an energetic bunny speeding madly from meter to meter handing out 200 tickets before noon, double what the Chief had asked for in half the time. It had been her effort to prove to everyone that she deserved to be there only to be led on down a twisty path of reality by a pair of shifty foxes. Judy giggled at the memory of Finnick dressed in his elephant costume giving her a 'toot toot' as they had walked away. That meeting had changed her life for the better and she would endure the humiliation another thousand times for everything to turn out how it did. Coming around the corner, she spotted someone familiar from that very day. Hearing a meter go off behind her, she decided to give the poor mammal a break and began slowly sneaking her way down the sidewalk.

"Pawpsicles! Get your pawpsicles! Hey I said get your pawpsicles! Right here!" The old Fenneck muttered a few curses under his breath as the crowd kept passing by, nobody slowing down to purchase the frozen treats. Nick had always been the one to sell them, his hustler charm more than enough to convince other mammals to buy. The red fox's silver tongue was legendary in the hustler world, able to convince a polar bear in Tundratown that it was 90 degrees and sunny. Doing the job solo had been increasingly difficult for Finnick, his charm severely lacking and his imagination equally as low. Not for the first time he considered what it must be like to go legit like Nick had been talking about. There were very few jobs that a Fenneck would be suitable for and none of them were what he would call 'lucrative' but then again, with the luck he had been having the last 3 months, 'steady' sounded far more appealing than random spurts of good fortune.

"I hope you have a permit for selling those pawpsicles, Mr. Toot Toot." The older mammal nearly jumped out of his shoes as a voice came from directly behind him.

"I have a permit, officer. It's just in my van. It's parked over th-" he cut off as he turned around to face the mysterious voice and recognized the long ears and big feet of the smiling lady in blue. "Aha! Bunny cop. You almost gave me a heart attack." Pausing, letting his heart rate return to normal, his eyes narrowed as suspicion flashed across them. "You're not here to arrest me, are you? Cause I do have the permits! And, and I helped you find Nick so you two could save the city again, don't you be forgettin' about that!"

Holding her paws up to calm the ranting fox, Judy continued smiling, her non-threatening stance slowly breaking down the bat-eared mammal's defensive posture. "Relax Fin. I'm not here to arrest you. I was out tending the meters and thought I'd come say hi."

"Oh. Alright." Eyeing the reflective vest the bunny wore, his gaze traveled to the small hat on top of her head. Barely concealing a grin, he gestured at the offending clothing. "I thought you were only doing that because you weren't a real cop back then. They demote you or something?"

Judy's face drooped a little. "No, not demoted. I had something...happen...during the Nighthowler case, and after I was injured it took a while for me to come back to work. This is just an easy assignment to make sure I can handle the rest of the job," she said while looking down, her foot scraping at the sidewalk.

Grabbing one of his own pawpsicles, Finnick gnawed on it for a few seconds. "By 'something' you mean that bond thing?" Her head snapping up quickly, Judy gaped at the fox.

"H-how do you know about that?" the Lapine stammered, her face suddenly going stark white.

Shrugging, Finnick simply replied with "Nick told me."

" _Nick_ told you?!" The volume of her voice caused a few mammals walking by to glance in her direction, however after seeing she was a cop they quickly decided to keep moving. "Why would he tell you? He wasn't supposed to tell anyone! This was between us! I can't believe it. Why did he tell you?" Wringing her paws, she began to frantically walk back and forth along the edges of the buildings away from the rest of the crowd. _Who else did he tell? Did Finnick tell? I wasn't prepared for this to become public knowledge!_

"Bunny cop. Hey, Bunny cop!" Judy stopped her pacing, looking over at the small fox who was gesturing for her to come closer. "Nick told me because he tells me everything because he knows I don't give a shit enough to go blabbing about it. I didn't tell anyone and I ain't gonna. So relax. My boy wouldn't be spreading that around all casual like." Seeing her relax visibly, Finnick went back to gnawing on his pawpsicle before something clicked in his mind. "Speaking of, where the hell is Nick? He ain't answerin' his phone the last few days and he ain't here with you."

"Oh. He's at the Academy. Today was his first day," Judy said proudly, the image of her fox in his ZPA outfit filling her thoughts.

"Huh. So he actually is going legit this time. Had a feeling. After quitting the gig after that press conference I figured he was probably done for good." Sending a sharp glare her way, he growled a bit. "You hurt him bad, you know."

Sadness filled the bunny's eyes as she cast her gaze down, tears threatening to well up in her eyes. "I know," she said softly, almost whispering to herself. "But never again. Never again." Seeing her eyes shimmering, he felt a wave of guilt wash over his normally uncaring form. It was uncomfortable and he hated it. Seeking to rid himself of the horrendous feeling, Finnick plucked a pawpsicle from the ice and handed it to the young doe.

"Here. On the house."

"Oh I couldn't Fin," she protested. "You need that money."

"Yeah, but I don't need to beat up my best friend when he comes looking for a fight after I made his girl cry." Letting out probably the first grin she had ever seen him make, Finnick pushed the frozen treat into her paws. Thanking him, Judy waved goodbye and headed back to her duties. Feeling out of sorts, the older male stuck his paws in his pockets still trying to shake off the guilt when he came across a piece of paper he hadn't remembered being there the last time he had reached into his pocket. Pulling out a $5 bill, the Fenneck looked at it with intense scrutiny before looking up at the back of the bunny disappearing around the corner. "That sly bunny." Shaking his head he laughed at the irony as he stuck the bill back into his pocket. "Hustler fox going straight while his cop girlfriend going a little crooked. This city is nuts."

* * *

After seeing Finnick the rest of the afternoon went smoothly. Judy moved from meter to meter taking her time. She wasn't interested in trying to beat her old record nor did she feel an overwhelming drive to exceed expectations. Today was about proving to Bogo that she could handle the job due to her condition, not about impressing the mammals in the parking enforcement department. She let her mind wander, preferring the dreams of being partnered with her favorite mammal to the agonizing feeling of printing tickets and slapping them behind wiper blades. _If Nick were here doing this with me I bet it would be a lot better._

_Maybe, but I bet his complaining would get on your nerves after a while._

_I suppose. But at least he could buy lunch._

_That would be depending on if he 'forgot' his wallet again._

Snickering to herself, Judy printed another ticket and slipped it onto the windshield when she heard someone calling out to her. "No! Please don't, I'm right here." Slapping a paw to her face, she let it slide down down, dragging her eyelids with it giving her face a distorted look. About one in every five tickets resulted in a nearby owner calling out to her asking her to rescind the ticket. These were the ones she despised doing. She felt bad for the mammals who got a fine because they were thirty seconds, maybe a minute behind schedule, but she did have to do her job and even though it was one she hated doing she would do it to the best of her ability.

"I'm sorry, sir. But if you have a grievance you can bring it to traffic court." The all white arctic hare came up short, his paw falling down in defeat, his face drooping in disappointment. She was about to turn and leave when the sudden uplift in the hare's demeanor brought her up short, his face breaking out into a radiant smile.

"Oh my. You're Officer Hopps, right?" Sighing, Judy nodded, hoping to get this out of the way quickly as she still had several streets to cover. "Officer _Judy_ Hopps?"

"Yes, it's very nice to meet yo-"

"Oh, where are my manners? David. David Snow." Ecstatic, the hare stuck out his paw, waiting for her to shake it. Begrudgingly she did so, a little bothered by the strength he hung onto it with.

"It's very nice to meet you, but I have to ge-"

"Oh please you must stay for a minute. My sister is never going to believe that I met you. She's your biggest fan, I swear."

"That's very nice, David but I really must be g-"

Gripping her paw tighter, he looked her figure up and down. "I must say, you're far prettier than those newspaper photos. They don't do you justice at all." Judy was becoming increasingly disturbed by the intensity of his eyes.

"Thank you for the compliment but I have to get back to my duties so if you would please let go of my p-"

"How about dinner?"

Judy paused, her eyes going wide. She hoped she was misunderstanding where he was going with this but she feared she was not. "E-excuse me?"

"Dinner. Me. You. Get some drinks. See what...develops?" The buck waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Judy decided she had had enough.

Her stomach lurching with nausea at the mere idea of going out with the increasingly aggressive hare, she attempted to pull her paw free. "Sir, I am a taken bunny. Now I suggest you let go of me or I will have to bring you down to the precinct." Pulling her paw back, she found herself yanked towards the suddenly very angry buck.

"I did not say you could leave." The doe looked down at the paw now gripping her arm before snapping her gaze back to the leering face of the white hare. The arctic mammal's previously overconfident face blanched as he stared into the inferno raging behind the gray bunny's eyes.

_***15 minutes later*** _

Benjamin Clawhauser, absorbed in a new app on his cell phone, had been oblivious to the goings on of the precinct lobby for most of the afternoon. It was a relatively slow day. A few calls had come in signaling different cars going off for lunch or bringing in a couple of mammals for disturbing the peace. One teenage badger was brought in for fighting at school but his mother had already picked him up, Ben letting out a timid laugh as she whacked her son with her purse. All in all it had been a relatively uneventful day. So when the front doors burst open and a small gray rabbit stomped into the precinct, her angry footfalls catching his attention, he glanced up to welcome back his favorite officer only to gape at the sight before him.

After the hare had become violent and grabbed Judy's arm, the officer was forced to restrain the energetic mammal who had tried to escape multiple times. Rather than risk injuring herself by letting him thrash around as she hauled him to the meter mobile, Officer Hopps took a book from one of her past arrests. With one paw behind her clutching the back of the hare's shirt, Judy dragged the bound and gagged mammal through the precinct lobby.

"One for booking, Ben," she declared happily, a little kick in her step.

Ben hesitated, unsure which regulation this violated but he suspected at least a couple. "O-okay, Judy. Umm...why are his feet cuffed?"

"He continued to thrash around after I cuffed his arms and in that tiny car that could get himself hurt," a deceptive grin on her face that appeared to the hare more like a sneer.

"Makes sense. I suppose," replied the fat cheetah. "...Where did you get the rope?"

"Oh there was a hardware store nearby. I went and bought some while he was unconscious." By the way," rustling around in her uniform, Judy brought out a piece of paper that she slapped on the desk. "Here's the receipt. i need to get reimbursed for that. Did you know rope was expensive in this city? It's almost three times the cost it is in Bunnyburrow."

"Wait wait...unconscious? Judy, what happened?"

"He asked me out," a small growl escaping her lips causing both the hare and the cheetah to look at her slightly frightened. Rubbing her arm gingerly, her growl became even louder. "And he wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Okay honey bun. We'll just have Delgado," he quickly waved the lion over, trying to separate the two Lapines from each other as soon as possible, "to take him down to holding while you fill out the paperwork.

Her mood instantly back to it's happy normality, the young doe simply replied with a smile and a nod before grabbing the clipboard and filling out the necessary information. Handing it back to her friend she began skipping away before pausing. "Oh and someone should go tow his car. My ticket reader should have the location. Bye Ben! See you in a bit. I'll tell you all about Nick playing with a band down in Bunnyburrow."

"Okay, hon. I'll see yo-wait, he plays an instrument?!" Judy smiled as she heard a squeal coming the large cat as she continued out the door to get back to her patrol.

* * *

"Oh boy I needed this." Two large russet arms encircled a body covered in gray fur and blue Lycra fabric.

"Me too," came the muffled response from somewhere near the other mammal's neck. "You wouldn't believe what happened today." Breathing in deeply, a young doe sighed contentedly, the heavy musk reinvigorating her declining body. She had been pushed to her limit after her meeting with Bogo but thankfully Wolford had hung around long enough to give Judy a lift back to the Academy. Snuggling deep into Nick's fur, she stroked his chest with her claws, feeling a pleased rumbling coming from her fox. In return, the Vulpine nuzzled between her ears, letting his long tongue stretch out to lick the sensitive tips of her ears. Her body trembled as a small moan escaped her lips, telling the fox that his attentions did not go unnoticed and were _much_ appreciated. Judy hated herself for what she was about to say knowing it went against all of her instincts and desires, but they had to face reality. "Nick, we can't do this. We don't have time."

Nick scoffed. "Lights out isn't for another hour and a half."

Dragging her digits through his fur, she traced abstract patterns in her mind, the texture of him becoming ingrained in her mind. "The bus comes in 45 minutes and if I miss it I won't be able to get home."

"Is that such a bad thing?" he asked seductively. She glanced up to see him waggle his brow at her causing her to giggle.

"No. Definitely not," she admitted truthfully. In fact there was nothing she wanted more than to spend the rest of the night in his arms. She was dreading going home and not seeing him there. Unable to roll around in the bed with him before retiring for the night. Sadly it was not meant to be. Not for now. "I have work in the morning and I'm fairly certain Ursula won't like us abusing our overnight privileges on day one."

Flopping his head back onto the threadbare pillow, Nick felt himself breaking down after the long day he had experienced. His bones and body ached miserably. Each of his arms felt as if they weighed fifty pounds and he found it incredibly difficult to raise them more than a few inches. Only for his bunny did he find the strength to move his physically drained form. Now that he knew she would be leaving much earlier than he had anticipated, he felt even more tired. Switching tracks to distract himself, he brought up a question he had been wondering all day. "How did you get to work anyway? Or here tonight for that matter. I know the bus doesn't run here at those times. Obviously you brought the joke mobile for lunch but what about the other two times?"

"Oh. Uh, Wolford, you know the Timber Wolf from the precinct? He lives out near here and he gave me a lift. I'm not sure if I'll need to do that every day or what but I'm trying to figure something out." Fiddling with her ear, Judy noticed out of the corner of her eye that Nick started scratching the scruff underneath his muzzle, something she had learned he did when he was thinking heavily. She was confused when he leaned over to his duffel bag and retrieved a notebook and a pen. She watched as he scrawled out a quick note, folded it, and put the notebook away once again.

Handing her the piece of paper, he pulled her back down onto his chest and closed his eyes. "When you get home, go to the 32nd floor and go to the last room on the left. Ask for John and tell him I sent you. Give him that and he'll give you an envelope. Take it home and call me when you get there."

"That's...really cryptic, Nick. Is this something illegal?" A flicker of his ear told her what she needed to know. "I can't do that, Nick. I just got my job back."

"It's not illegal, Carrots. It's...toeing the line. And I'm going to be changing things around with him so it will perfectly legitimate in the future. It's all in the note." Placing a claw under her chin, he raised it to bring her beautiful amethyst gems to his emerald gaze. "Have some faith in me, Fluff." He pressed his lips to hers for a few seconds, letting the taste of her lips satisfy him.

Exhaling softly, Judy leaned into him, her head finding it's way to his neck. "I have faith in you, Nick. I wouldn't be here if I didn't." Settling into each other, the two were merely content to be in each others arms, relishing in the feel of their fur mixing together. Nick had nearly fallen asleep when he felt a strange sensation against his neck. Feeling her head shift and the sensation follow, he paid closer attention only to hear the light feel of lips pressing to his neck. Tilting his head back, he let her continue moving all around him, crawling onto his chest so that she could fully reach his other side. Growling happily, Nick raised his paws to stroke her ears, his claws lightly running along the inside of her ears. "Oh god, Nick," she moaned. "That feels heavenly." Not content with simply kissing his neck anymore, Judy began nuzzling hard into it, the top of her head pushing up against the bottom of his chin every so often. "We can't do this. I have to go soon." She let out a squeak and a chirr of approval as he pulled on her tail.

Flipping her onto her back, his eyes bored into hers as he trailed his paw down her body. "All you have to do is tell me when to stop," he whispered as his paw found it's way to her belt and unclasped it, pulling it slowly from around her waist. Sliding the material of her uniform out of the way, he slipped his digits inside the band of her panties, softly stroking the top of her mound. Bringing his muzzle down, he dug his nose into the fur of her neck and breathed in the sweet smell of her arousal before letting his long tongue drag it's way from the top of her shoulder to just below her ear. He pressed his paw down against the top of her sex and watched as she drew in a sharp breath. "Do you want me to stop?"

"Don't you dare!" Her eyes darted open in panic, her violet eyes showing a mixture of lust and fear.

Chuckling, he nuzzled the side of her cheek, his muzzle now next to her ear. "What about the bus?" he whispered, sliding his paw along her folds eliciting a cry from the young doe, the rough pads causing thrills of pleasure to radiate from where they rubbed along her flesh.

"I'll walk," she gasped. Shooting her paw out, she grasped his wrist and shoved his paw deeper into her panties as she started panting with need and desperation. Feeling the soft silk of her paw touching his, Nick began nibbling lightly along her ear, receiving a tremble through her luscious body. Not wanting to tease her anymore, the tod slid one of his digits along her sex before pressing inside of her. The heat wrapped around his paw was intense, showing how much in need of release she was. Sliding back and forth, he started curling his digit causing her to buck against him, the force behind the motions causing his digit to piston in and out of her folds rapidly. Gripping him with both paws, she shoved him closer to her in a mad attempt to drive him further inside of her. Smiling, Nick let the wetness of her sex coat another digit and slipped it inside her before snapping his head down and latching his teeth around her neck. Her head falling back, Judy started gasping heavily as she started calling his name as she approached her orgasm.

A sudden sound came from her pocket as her cell started ringing. Not even glancing at it, she pulled the offending device from her pocket and chucked it at the wall, silencing the phone.

From the odd angle of how the phone had landed, Jessica watched as her sister cried out in ecstasy, her back arching off the bed as her boyfriend thrust his digits repeatedly into her, not willing to stop until she gave him the word. Seeing Judy's body react violently and her cries begin anew, Jessica suddenly found herself catching her own paw before it descended too far down her body as her sister climbed towards another orgasm. _God I need to get myself a fox._

* * *

The bus ride back to the apartment had been long, but with the thoughts of her last experience with her fox being fresh in her mind, the time passed by rather quickly, the lights of the city seeming mere blurs in her eyes. She had noticed a few canines giving her interesting looks as she had gotten on the bus. Knowing that still smelled strongly of sex and fox, she simply smiled politely at them before continuing further into the vehicle to find a seat. Seeing as she was still in uniform, she did not fear that anyone would try to harass her and as she expected the ride went smoothly. Soon she had departed at the stop near to their apartment and headed through the lobby. Seeing Dave the doorman standing at his post, she gave him a gentle wave before heading into the elevator. Reaching to press her desired floor, her paw brushed a piece of paper she had stuffed into her pocket causing her to remember what Nick had told her about heading to a different floor before going home to bed.

Pressing the 32nd floor, Judy waited patiently as she ascended, her thoughts still on her fox and how she was no longer with him. The bed had been very uncomfortable but with him it did not seem to matter. She could only imagine how bad it must be for him to try and live like that for the next six months. She watched the doors slide open, barely registering that she was on another floor while she pictured her fox tossing and turning each night. _Maybe I can buy him a new mattress._

A door opened in front of her, jostling her from her thoughts. She hadn't remembered leaving the elevator car let alone walking down the hall and knocking on the apartment door which was odd for her. Normally she was very meticulous when it came to details, her mind always watching, always gathering information. It was one of her many talents that helped with her police training, but then again many things had changed for her in recent weeks. She supposed daydreaming about her fox was due to their still relatively new relationship. She made a promise to herself to work on that before she turned her attention back to the issue at paw.

"I'd like to see John please," she uttered confidently. One way to instill respect in larger mammals when one was a bunny was to stand tall and present ones-self with confidence. It didn't always work but with a gold badge on her chest the act helped back up the shield. A police officer is not timid, regardless of the situation. It worked on the bear who answered the door and she suddenly found herself in a large apartment, configured similarly to the one she lived in with Nick. Walking further into the entrance way, she noted that while the lights were dimmed somewhat, the bright white walls and carpeting lent the room a feeling of brightness allowing her to feel relatively at ease even in such an unfamiliar setting.

"Come in. I heard you needed to see me?" Judy turned her gaze towards the living room, noticing an extended area behind it near the balcony doors. An aging snow leopard sat behind an ornate wooden desk, the clawed footrests each holding what appeared to be a small orb. Large white boards were arranged on the walls behind the figure, complex math equations on several, sports listings on the other. "I'm John. How can I help you, officer?" While appearing at ease, Judy could sense a slight nervousness in his response, the smallest of hesitations in his voice.

"Nick Wilde sent me." Moving forward, Judy placed herself in front of the desk, back far enough away to be able to see the leopard properly. At the mention of Nick's name, John visibly relaxed and a wide toothy smile appeared across his mouth.

"And what's my good pal Nick done now? I hope he didn't send you here looking for me to bail him out?"Chuckling heartily, the old cat shuffled a few papers around on his desk before retrieving a small manila envelope. Placing it to the side, he looked at the doe expectantly.

"No sir, he's actually at the police Academy and he asked me to stop b-"

"Wait. Nick's training to be a cop?" The smile having all but vanished from his mug, the feline's eyes narrowed dangerously. "When did he decide this? And who exactly are you? No, don't answer that last one. I know who you are. Everyone knows who you are. But why are you here? Why did Nick send you to me?"

"Well, I'm his girlfrien-" she started to explain before a booming laugh interrupted her.

"His girlfriend?! The bonafide bachelor got himself a girlfriend? And a bunny no less! Oh this is too rich." Judy's face began to redden in anger at the snow leopard. _How dare he insult my ma-_ boyfriend. _I will cuff him and drag him onto the bus if he doesn't stop._ Seeing the rabbit in front of him becoming increasingly distressed, John immediately tried to get his laughter under control. He was known for his joking mannerisms but when it was with someone who had not yet gotten to know him he knew it could seem a little insulting which was never good for new clients and especially not for someone as helpful in his line of work as Nick Wilde. "I apologize Miss Hopps. I've known Nick a while and it's a little shocking. I'm honestly happy for him although him joining the ZPD is a bit of a blow that I may have trouble handling."

"Oh I didn't mean to be any trouble," she said hurriedly. "I was just here to deliver this note Nick gave to me." Sliding it from her pocket, Judy put it in the outstretched paw of the waiting feline. Watching as he shook it open and began reading, she felt a little trepidation settle in as a new thought occurred to her. "This won't cost him his apartment, will it?" Feeling a slight panic at the thought of making both her and her fox homeless, she shuddered at the idea of losing the one place that his scent permeated every square inch of the rooms. "I mean, joining the ZPD and all can't work for your gambling ring. Can it?"

"How do you know what i do? Did Nick tell you?" his voice sounding strained and moderately angry.

"Nick told me how he got the apartment but he didn't mention you at all. However, I am a cop Mister Tailerton." Seeing him stiffen in surprise, she clarified for his benefit. "The mail on your desk is addressed to a Johnathan Tailerton. The white boards show several game schedules across varying sports with win/loss ratios and betting lines on them. That and the stack of papers marked 'paid' and 'unpaid' leads me to believe you still have some collecting to do after the last soccer match on Saturday evening." She eyed him carefully, watching the blank look on his face before continuing in a patronizing tone. "It's what I'm supposed to do, Mister Tailerton. Now I don't really care what you do for your business as long as you aren't the kind to send a few enforcers out into the streets to get your money. I do however care about my fox and if he will have a home to come back to when he graduates."

A stunned leopard sat at the desk, his jaw hanging slightly open for several seconds before a spark of life came back into his eyes. Letting out a bellyaching laugh, he slapped his paw onto the desk top and grabbed his side continuing to laugh uncontrollably. Judy waited patiently for the humor to subside and the older mammal to regain control of himself. Breathing heavily and still chuckling, John eventually did calm himself down to where he could address the officer. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I was just thinking that Nick chose himself one hell of a girlfriend. Now this," he waved the note still in his paw towards her, "This settles everything just fine. Nick has nothing to worry about. I suppose you'll be wanting this?" Holding up the manila envelope next to his paw, he tossed it to her, the mid-sized package being large enough for her stumble back as she wrapped her arms around it. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my work." Leaning over the desk, she watched as he made some notes on an already swamped sheet of paper, an unidentifiable team logo in the upper corner. He chuckled to himself before muttering "That damned Nick Wilde."

Knowing herself to be excused, the small bunny headed out of the apartment, thanking the bear who held open the door for her. Carrying the large envelope caused her a bit of an inconvenience getting into the elevator, but she was shortly back in their own apartment, standing by the dining room table which she placed the package on before getting undressed, her uniform beginning to feel a bit too restrictive. Going to one of the closet doors, Judy opened the sliding panels to reveal the washer and dryer Nick had shown her the week before. Slowly peeling the fur tight clothing from her body, she relished the cooling air that flowed over her. Taking off the feet wraps, she hung them and her belt over the hooks above the dryer before she started the wash cycle to get it clean for later in the week.

Heading back into the kitchen area, Judy dialed her boyfriend as he had asked, noticing that their had been a previous call with her sister that seemed to have lasted just over four minutes that she didn't remember. Mentally shrugging it aside, she keyed the dialing icon and waited only a few seconds before her tod had picked up. "Everything go alright, Carrots?"

"Yeah. Everything's okay with John now."

"Good. And did he give you the envelope?" Judy frowned at the minor note of panic in his voice, as if he really didn't want an answer but needed one anyway.

"Yeah, he did. Do you want me to open it now?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Go ahead." Grasping the sealed edge, Judy ripped it with her teeth before spilling the contents onto the table.

"Nick," she gasped. "There has to be...10, 20, 30...There's $50,000 in here!" Suspicion flooded her as she recalled what John did for a living. "How long have you been betting like this? It's illegal!"

"No it isn't, Carrots. There's a limit on how much you can bet legally and I've never crossed that line. That's the profit from several of those bets, so technically there's nothing wrong."

"Except that limit is cut in half for officers, Nick."

"And am I an officer? No, no I am not. And before you tell me that I'm now at the Academy," Judy closed her mouth having been about to do just that, "I'm still not an officer. Anyways it doesn't really matter. In the note I gave you I instructed John that I will be cutting my bet profits but I'll still be relaying him tips every now and then to make sure we keep the apartment. That's not illegal and I promise you I won't do anything to jeopardize our partnership. I still plan on being next to you in that cruiser every day." Judy felt warmth travel throughout her body, running up and down her legs at his promise. Judy smiled fondly, wishing she was next to him right then so she could hug him and spread that warm feeling between them.

Coughing slightly, she roused herself as she remembered why she had called in the first place. "So, you said you wanted me to do something with this, Nick?"

"Right, right right." She could tell he had nearly forgotten as well. "I want you to go buy a car. Not an outlandish one, just something safe and reliable you can get from point A to B. Relying on Wolford and public transport is going to leave you stranded one night and I don't want that to happen." She promised she would start looking first thing tomorrow before wishing him goodnight. "Goodnight Carrots. I'll see you in the morning."

With that the phone went blank and she felt lonely once again. Not overly enticed by the idea of filling that loneliness with mindless television programs, Judy ate a quick dinner before grabbing a shower. Freshly bathed and rather tired from her long day back to the force, Judy shrugged on one of the shirts Nick had scented for her and climbed in between the sheets. Staring at the empty space that her fox would normally fill, she felt as alone right then as she had during their previous separation. Gripping his pillow and bringing it close to her, she wept softly before eventually succumbing to sleep.


	17. Chapter 21 - Special guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Disney found my stories. My team of lawyers say I'll be fine but I don't trust them. I'm pretty sure they're spies. I heard them singing the other day "Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to jail he goes."

**_*1 month in, 5 Months until graduation*_ **

One of the many benefits of being assigned a past instructor's room was that the window was not required to face the east side allowing the room to remain shrouded for several minutes longer than the tod was used to at home. Judy, his live-in girlfriend/something more eventually, insisted on sleeping with his custom light blocking blinds wide open so that she could wake up with the sun, something Nick, as a nocturnal mammal, despised greatly. While he hated hearing the shrill beeping of his morning alarm, it was far more effective at waking him peacefully than the overpowering light blinding him earlier than he preferred. Of course the past month had trained him to wake several minutes before the alarm, much to his chagrin, however due to the fabulous mattress his bunny lass surprised him with a few days into his training allowed him to get several hours of rest more than the lumpy piece of junk he had been given. Ursula had grudgingly allowed Judy to purchase the new one for her boyfriend with the promise that they would donate it to the Academy for a future instructor down the road, the previous mattress having been several years past it's prime already.

Roused from a very pleasant dream he had been having about the two of them being together by the shrill sound of his phone going off, Nick allowed himself a few more minutes of peace as he blindly slapped at the device next to him while he mentally prepped himself for the day ahead. He feared he had fallen back asleep when he felt silky paws stroke along his cheek and soft lips lightly kissing the tip of his nose. He could almost feel the weight of her pressing down on his chest. He was unwilling to give up his dream even as dream Judy began whispering to him that it was time to wake up. Sadly, he let it slip away from him, regretting that he had to leave her even in the dream world. Opening his eyes, he let the cobwebs clear while he let out a heavy sigh. Strangely, the feelings from his dream did not fade and, as his vision cleared, he realized why, a smile breaking over his muzzle as he took in the sight of his real bunny taking the place of the dream one.

"Good morning, sleepy fox. Sleep well?" she cooed, her twitchy nose meeting his and nuzzling cutely up against him. Smiling softly, the fox wrapped his arms around her and held her tight to his chest, the weighted feeling now making more sense.

"I slept just fine. Although I was having a wonderful dream about a pretty bunny coming to greet me before I woke up. I thought I couldn't get any luckier but then I opened my eyes and she was gone and an even more beautiful bunny had taken her place." Blushing lightly, the fair doe tried to keep a scowl on her face.

"Nicholas Wilde, you better not be dreaming of any other bunnies. You're _my_ fox and I don't share, even if Jessica keeps asking me to." His smile turning into a wicked grin, Nick couldn't help but stir the pot even knowing what was to happen.

"You're sister wanted you to share, huh? Well you know what they say. 'Sharing is caring,' right Fluff? Ow!" Rubbing the now sore spot on his arm, he winked at her to reassure her he was simply joking. "You're the only one for me, _bun bun_." Judy groaned loudly before burying her face into his chest, her previously raised ears laying down her back in misery. He had been using that nickname off and on ever since he heard her mother over a muzzletime call. She didn't mind it so much from him, like she didn't really mind being called 'cute' by him either, but he tended to overdo it which would eventually set her teeth on edge. Lifting his head, he planted a kiss between her ears eliciting a pleased sigh from the small bunny. "So how come you're so early, Carrots?"

"Can't a girlfriend just want to visit her fox? Do I always have to have some ulterior motive, _Slick_?" He pressed a claw to his chin, pretending to muse for a few seconds before nodding his head dramatically. Sighing, she giggled before laying her head back down on his chest, listening to his beating heart. "Alright, you got me. I didn't sleep very well and ended up being awake even earlier than normal, if you can believe such a thing. So I came here instead. I was tempted to sleep with you but I only lasted five minutes laying down before you decided to get up."

"Well it's definitely a beautiful thing to wake up to." Raising up, Nick planted a light kiss on her lips before clutching her to his chest and rolling to the side, the two of them cuddling into one another. Feeling his bunny nuzzle into his chest as her paws grasped tufts of his fur, he stroked her ears while a deep rumbling came from within, a pleased smile across his muzzle. "I've missed this."

"We did this just two weeks ago," she giggled, digging her short claws into his side and giving him a good scratch, watching in delight as his leg started thumping up and down of it's own accord. She had discovered that spot during one of their heavy petting sessions and now used it regularly as a way to torture the poor Canid.

"Don't start a...battle...you can't win, Fluff," he said between barks of laughter. Seeing him raise his claws, moving his paw towards her lower back, she snatched her paw from his side and tried to scramble away only to find herself locked in her fox's arms.

"No, Nick! Not that! Anything but that!" Chuckling, Nick slowly brought the tips of his claws to right above the base of her fluffy tail, a look of glee across his face and a glint of mischief in his eyes. Lightly placing them on either side of her short tail, the tod began alternating between dragging his claws through and pinching the soft fur and smooth skin underneath. Judy burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, both hind legs thrashing and kicking out in futility. Only half focusing on the squeaks his bunny was making, Nick waited for a few seconds until the squeaks were replaced by moans, her toes now curling instead of thrashing. They had discovered quite by accident that constant attention to that area would change her mood rather quickly and they decided it would be better utilized once they were alone again in the apartment.

Lifting his paw away, Nick eyed the curve of her hindquarters, enjoying the view of her tight uniform over her rear. Raising one paw, he swiftly brought it down and slapped her on the rump causing Judy to yelp in protest, the feelings she had been enjoying vanishing rapidly. Turning to face what was now enemy number one, the gray doe launched herself at him, landing a few pummels to his shoulder before being caught and hauled into the air.

Nick quickly wrapped his arms around hers, trapping them to her sides to avoid the pain she could inflict upon him. In this position, it would appear to those outside that he was in control. That he held all of the power over her tiny form, though they both knew that with her legs still free it was Judy that controlled the field of play. However, she was never one to enforce that control. In fact, Judy enjoyed the feeling of this predator trapping her. It made her feel safe and protected, something that before she had begun to develop feelings for her fox she would never dream of happening. Letting out an unhappy sigh, Judy struggled against her captor, willing his arms to set her free.

"We have to get ready Nick. Ursula will be calling everyone out in a few minutes and I have a special project to do today." Squirming, she slowly worked her way out of his grasp as he laid there and groaned at the thought of the training that morning. Ursula had promised a grueling day ahead which had prompted every cadet in the yard to groan loudly, earning each of them an extra ten laps the past evening.

"I don't wanna!" he cried out, his tone like that of a spoiled kit. Throwing the covers back over his head, Nick curled up into a ball and pretended to go back to sleep. His facade lasted for only a few seconds as he became aware of a paw sliding under his blanket, questing around until it found it's target. The silky smooth fur that suddenly wrapped around his tail immediately caught his attention, the soft bristles being stroked with enthusiasm by the small paw.

"If you get up and don't complain," she whispered to her fox, "I'll convince Ursula to let me stay over tonight." With a speed that astounded even himself, Nick threw back the covers and bounded from the bed, his tongue dangling as he panted in excitement. Laughing, Judy stood on the bed to be at eye level with the handsome Vulpine. Giving him a quick kiss, she looked at him, a glint of merriment in her eyes, a small smile on her lips. "You know now you don't have an excuse for being lazy in the morning, don't you?"

His jaw falling open, Nick could only stare at his little bunny in bewilderment. "Damn," was all he could mutter. "Sly bunny."

"Dumb fox."

"So how's the Blueberry doing?" Nick inquired, shrugging on his ZPA t-shirt for the day, the material surprisingly comfortable compared to how it appeared.

"I told you, Nick. We are not calling her that. My car is not a blueberry."

"Looks like a blueberry." Grabbing his shorts, Nick struggled to hop into them, nearly falling over several times. "And I'm the blueberry aficionado." Judy shook her head as they rehashed the same old discussion they had every morning since she had bought the small car. It had not been all that hard to find a car dealer, there were several in Zootopia that sold to rabbits. However, it had been infinitely harder to find one that would modify the passenger seat to fit a fox, inevitably leading to several questions from the salesmammals, eventually annoying her to the point of screaming at one of the reps that she was sleeping with said fox. Her efforts were rewarded with a small four-door car that was rather rounded at the top making it look, though she hated to admit it, much like a blueberry.

"Okay, Mr. Aficionado, let's scent my uniform and then you head out onto the field. I expect you to go above and beyond today. I'll see you real soon, alright?" Leaning down to nuzzle their noses together, Judy leapt back with a surprised 'Eep' as Nick licked her nose.

"You got it, Carrots."

* * *

June had always been one of Nick's favorite months. Right on the cusp of the seasonal change, the weather was normally dry, unless one lived in the Rainforest District of course, and was favorable to many heavily furred mammals. The occasional breeze was always pleasant, bringing the sweet smell of blossoming wild flowers that would fill the parks. The warmth of summer mixing in made the day-to-day goings on enjoyable, and it was just enough of a temperature boost to make selling pawpsicles easier to those trying to combat the heat, not that he thought of such things anymore.

However, this year the situation had changed. This year June had become his Nemesis, much as May had become last month, and July was soon to follow. Gone were the pleasant breezes that were buffeted away by the surrounding trees and stone walls. No longer did the sweet smell of wild flowers flow along on the air as they were cut down by gardeners each morning. And the mild change in temperature became a raging inferno as the sun beat down on their exposed fur and skin.

Nick had become better conditioned over the last month, his muscles growing and his body strengthening under what he called 'grueling torture', but he had to admit the results were doing wonders for him. Last week had seen him actually completing the morning twenty laps without collapsing into the dirt, something he was immeasurably proud of. With the added heat however, he was finding it very difficult to not pass out. Panting heavily, Nick pushed himself harder, simply trying to complete the run at this point. Unsurprisingly, he saw both Lylah and Tom pass him, already one lap ahead. "Hurry up, Foxy! You're making us look bad," came the familiar greeting of the striped cadet. It was a morning ritual for the trio but it was all in good fun, the three having become relatively close over the weeks prior.

On the last lap, seeing many of his fellow cadets already finished, the red fox dug his claws in deeper, urging his body to make the last lap at a dead sprint, his pride being the only thing his body had left to use. Turning the last corner, the mocking cheers of some of the more arrogant classmates of his became audible, the cheetah, Chad, being among them. Since the first day, he and Chad had developed a large amount of animosity towards each other. Chad was one of the bigots that Nick had gotten used to growing up, ones that wouldn't give a fox the time of day because they were afraid they would steal their watch. Nick for his part, used all of the snark at his disposal to antagonize the feline, hoping to get enough of a rise out of him to let the spotted cat land himself in hot water. It took several disciplinary punishments for the cheetah to finally become wise to the fox's methods and had settled for trying to humiliate him in front of the class which met with roughly half of the class in agreement with him and the other half coming to the fox's defense, his own actions earning their respect over the last month.

Coming to a halt just outside the barracks, Nick doubled over, his paws on his knees barely keeping him standing. Struggling to catch his breath, he looked around at the others in the group, noticing that he had once again beaten both rhinos and the elephant, an accomplishment although not a very large one considering their speed was lacking to their substantial size. Chad and the other cheetah, a female named Zoe, had finished first unsurprisingly, but where Chad was a braggart, cocky, and arrogant, Zoe was rather soft spoken, usually preferring to let her accomplishments do the talking for her. He was unsure on where she stood on him as she had never said an unkind word towards him, but then again she had never complimented him either. In fact, she had never said a word to him at all.

Ursula, who had stepped away during their morning run, came back onto the field, her signature clipboard resting at her side. "Listen up, cadets. Today is going to go a little different. We have a special guest instructor with us. She holds the most records her at the Academy," Nick's ears perked up at that, feeling a small suspicion in the back of his mind, "the first member of her species to graduate Valedictorian," Nick straightened up as tall as he could, that small suspicion becoming a full fledged recognition, "and solved two of the biggest cases Zootopia has ever seen, as a rookie. Officer Judy Hopps." A small gray form pelted out of the Academy doors, heading straight next to Ursula. Most of the class was in awe, clapping and cheering on the first rabbit officer of the ZPD, all of them having heard of the Missing Mammals and Nighthowler cases. Judy Hopps had become a celebrity, especially in the police world. "Alright, settle down. Settle down! Ahem. As I was saying, Officer Hopps has graciously agreed to be our special instructor for the day. You need to pay attention to her because she will teach you what nobody else will have even thought of, including me."

There was a lot of murmuring at that last part, many of the larger mammals not agreeing with the polar bear that a rabbit stood to teach them anything, regardless of her reputation. Feeling a bit of anger overcoming him as he heard the whispering, Nick tried to stay calm by gripping his paws tight, feeling his claws digging into his own skin. The quiet conversations were not lost on the young doe, her sensitive ears picking up every sound the other mammals made. "Listen up!" Nick was a little shocked at the way Judy had yelled. He had never heard her be so powerful, her tone unforgiving and straight-forward. He watched as the other cadets immediately snapped to attention, the bunny's small frame no longer a factor in how she commanded their attention. "I'm here to train you. I will also be training with you. Cops don't have the option of being slow and lazy. You need to know right now that these drills? These experiences? Do. Not. End. None of you are even close to where you need to be to be police officers." A scoffing sound came from the side of the group. Her ears twitching violently, Judy headed towards the sound, the rest of the class now backing away from none other than Chad, the speciest cheetah looking down at the rabbit with a sneer on his face. "Did I say something funny, cadet?"

Chad simply rolled his eyes. "Look, _officer_ , it's all well and good to try and sway us into believing you know what you're doing, but we both know that both of your 'big cases' were luck and really you were just some sort of publicity stunt." Several members of the class started to voice their objections to the arrogant cheetah. Lylah, who was currently standing next to Nick, growled loudly and crushed her paw into a giant fist. Starting to head towards Chad, she stopped at the feel of a small paw on her elbow, tugging her back.

"Don't give them a reason to discipline you. Don't worry, this will turn out alright," Nick said, his signature smirk wide on his face, this time genuine as he watched his girlfriend tear into the foolish feline.

"I'd ask for your name cadet but I'm not going to because I don't care. 20 laps around the outside of the facility. And your class participation for what you miss will be noted." There was a collective gasp from the cadets. The laps they had been doing was around the track, roughly half a mile per lap. The outside of the entire facility was roughly two miles. Regardless of how fast a cheetah could be, the arrogance and cockiness of the cadet would easily cost him half of the morning's training credits.

"You can't do tha-"

"Thirty laps."

"Now hold o-"

"FIFTY! You want to keep going cadet? Say one more word and I'll make it a hundred. Now get your tail out of my sight before I shove my foot under it." Gulping in fear, Chad gave the rabbit one last glare before heading to the outside of the entrance way. The cadets had been watching the exchange with baited breath, unsure what the officer was going to do the insubordinate cadet, but at the end of it all, they all were glad they had not been the one to make the mistake of voicing their opinion. "What you just witnessed is something I never want to see again. Insubordination is not something to take lightly."

"But ma'am, weren't you nearly fired for insubordination during the Missing Mammals case?" Judy inwardly groaned but managed to not let a flicker of annoyance pass across her face. She knew that voice, and indeed, when the crowd parted she was looking directly into the smug face of her fox.

"No cadet, I was not. I overstepped my boundaries by volunteering for a case but I did not defy orders or show any unruly behavior to my superior." Looking over the rest of the class, Judy chose to visibly avoid looking at the red Vulpine though her body yearned to clasp him and breathe in his musk. Luckily for her the scent on her uniform was diluted enough by the outdoor conditions that the wolves and other predators in the class were having a hard time determining where the scent of fox was coming from, and since there was a fox in the group they simply shrugged it off blaming it on the breeze. "Now, we're gonna stretch out and then go for another few laps around the track. Since you've already done twenty this morning I'll let you have a break and we'll only do 19 more. Let's move, cadets!"

Nick was still a little wobbly, but he wasn't going to let himself appear weak in front of Judy. Joining the other cadets, he jogged towards the track and as he passed by the ZPD's first bunny cop, he could have sworn she gave him a quick wink.

_Maybe today won't be so bad after all._

* * *

Little by little the temporary cover erected in the field was being eroded, the small bits of plaster flying off in all directions as multiple rounds of ammunition struck. Two mammals sat square against the wall, each one taking note of their ammunition supply, waiting for the prime opportunity to strike back. Enemy fire never seemed to slow keeping the duo pinned, unable to peer out for a clear line of sight or an opening to move to a more manageable defensive point. Numerous members of their squad had already fallen leaving the two mammals practically alone on the battle field.

"Alright over there, Foxy?" The tod glanced over to his left, his eyes taking in the sight of a formidable tiger in ballistic glasses, her fangs bared in a toothy smile. He watched as she ran her paw over her weapon, checking for any irregularities that might cause it to jam when the shooting began. Her mouth moved while she silently counted her remaining rounds before dropping it back into her lap. "See Tom anywhere?"

He shook his head, the motion dislodging several chunks of drywall from the top of his head. "He got taken out. Took one in the leg before taking two to the chest." His heart pounding, Nick remembered vividly his friend hitting the ground, no longer moving. Half expecting him to raise himself back up, he was dismayed when he realized that he was out of the fight, his body made to lay there until the battle was over.

Letting out a stream of curses that made even the red fox blush, she slammed her fist into the wall behind them, the flimsy structure tipping dangerously nearly costing them the only protection they had. "Lylah! Calm down."

"Calm down? _Calm down_?! They took out Tom! How am I supposed to calm down?!" Her cries became frantic, her piercing amber eyes flashing around madly. Nick did the only thing he could think of and slapped his paw across her cheek. With the size difference, he surmised it would be barely noticeable to the large feline, but the intention was to shock her out of it, not to cause her any real pain. Nick could tell it worked but his instincts went haywire with the desire to hide as her angry gaze and bared fangs turned in his direction. Pushing through his own fear, he reached up and grabbed hold of her collar.

"Get a hold of yourself, Whiskers. We have a job to do. Tom knew that and he went down doing his duty. Now we need to get in there and take these guys down, but I can't do it solo. Now, can you handle this or do I need to call in a new partner?" His face had taken on a look of pure determination, his normal smirk gone, the playful glint in his eyes nonexistent. This was a Nick that was tempered on the streets, surviving against the hatred some mammals had for his kind. And now he was using that hardened part of his soul to do what must be done. To be a cop. His partner took a look at the seriousness of his expression and felt her nerves settle down. He may be a much smaller mammal but in that moment he seemed taller than a rhino. Nodding emphatically, she gripped her rifle tightly. Hearing a distant clack of the slide locking, Nick knew they had their window of opportunity. "Move!"

Turning the corner, the pair moved to the next piece of cover in front of them. To their right, their last surviving rhino squad member pushed himself to his feet and began lumbering towards the barricaded entrance, his mass eventually picking speed into a full charge. "Everybody move in!" Nick cried, his voice echoing across the field. From several other positions scattered around them, several mammals emerged, all of them decked out in protective gear, their rifles loaded and ready. Nick was quickly joined by Lylah, a wolf he hadn't had the opportunity to meet, and Zoe, the silent cheetah, all of them moving in swiftly behind the rampaging rhino. With a resounding crash, their squad mate plowed through the flimsy boards the enemy mammals were hiding behind.

Scattered, the enemy units were slow to recover, slightly dazed from the impact of the rhino's charge. Moving quickly from mammal to mammal, the squad made quick work of them, their bodies covered in blooming red as they were eliminated. "Front clear. Delorn!" The rhinoceros looked over at the fox leading the charge. "Take Lunaron and clear the other rooms. You find anything locked you bring it down." The rhino and wolf nodded before heading deeper into the building. "Spotters, head outside the building and scout the area. Anything you see through the windows, radio it in." Zoe took off, her form disappearing around the corner before Nick could even process her movement. He glanced at his partner who remained at his side. "Whiskers. We've got the hostages. Let's move."

Silently moving down the abandoned halls, Nick let his ears flick left and right attempting to pick up any stray sounds that would help them pinpoint the hostages. A quick motion of an orange paw halted his progress. Casting a sharp gaze to his partner, he watched while she let out a short shake of her head, her eyes narrowing dangerously thin. Raising her paw from his chest, she used it to point down the narrow corridor. Following the line of sight, Nick noticed an open doorway roughly 60 feet away. Lylah signaled him to wait and continue watching. After a few seconds, Nick saw a flicker of a shadow. Clicking his radio twice, he radioed the team. "Wilde here. Call in positions."

"Delorn here. Right side of building, 3rd room from the end."  
"Lunaron. 2nd room from end."  
"Spotters here. Outside left end of building. Rear windows."

"We have a potential suspect, left side of building. Preparing to mo-"

"Wilde, I have a view of the hostages. Left side of building. One suspect moving inside. Hostages are on their knees and bound."

The fox and tiger exchanged looks. "We're right outside the room. Alright everyone, let's remember. There are innocent mammals in there and our duty is to get them home. So no unnecessary risks." Getting an acknowledgment from his partner and a confirmation over the radio from his other 3 squad-members, Nick pressed his back against the outer wall. Breathing deep, he let it out in a slow and controlled motion, the tension leaving his body. "Moving in 3...2...1..." The duo turned the corner rapidly, rifles raised and poised to shoot. A lone gunman had paused at the commotion and was now turning to face them, his movements extremely fast but overly chaotic. Two rapid taps from his partner's rifle had the suspect hitting the ground, his own shot firing high and to the left.

Lylah hurried forward to secure the suspect while Nick moved swiftly to check on the hostages. Yanking down the first one's gag, he asked if they had seen anymore of them in the building, but before the mammal could respond, a yell came over his radio. "Wilde look out!" Nick saw Zoe's frantic image outside of the window in font of him, her gaze cast over his shoulder. A sharp pain splashed against the back of his skull, the sound of the firearm discharging only reaching him after his vision started to swim. He was vaguely aware of Lylah raising her rifle only to take two round to the shoulder and chest, her body falling backwards, her head slamming into the floor. Collapsing, Nick let out a final breath before slumping to the ground.

"TIME!" A deafening bellow rang out over the field, an enormous polar bear stomping her way through the makeshift obstacles. Her face tinged with a look of frustration, Major Friedkin pointed at the cadets littering the ground. "You're dead, you're dead," she faced the Vulpine rubbing the paint off the back of his head, "and _you're_ dead, _Slick_ Nick."

"Your team performed admirably." A gray bunny walked up alongside the polar bear. "You followed procedure well and even after your team leader fell," she indicated the white wolf, Tom with a wave of her paw, "another stepped in and filled the role quite well." The ghost of a smile played at her lips as she glanced at her fox before turning away. "But you failed at the end by not following one of the basic fundamentals when breaching a building. Anyone know what that is?" A low mumbling reached her sensitive ears, the long appendages turning towards the sound. Her head following, Officer Hopps addressed the quiet cheetah. "Cadet...Spotters, right?" Zoe nodded curtly. "Care to repeat that?"

"We didn't clear the room before tending to the hostages." Behind her, the tod smacked his paw to his face, the embarrassment evident to everyone around him.

"Exactly. Rescuing the hostages is priority number one. But you can't do that if you're dead," her gaze locking to her fox's brilliant green eyes.

* * *

"So how's my fox doing?" Picking at her salad, Judy raised a forkful of lettuce and spinach to her lips, the tangy vinaigrette dressing wafting to her nostrils. Taking a bite, she was dismayed at the poor quality of the vegetables, desperately trying to keep the look of disgust off her face. _Tastes exactly the same as when I was here. Probably the same plants too._ She had opted to join the instructors at their table for lunch in a side room off the cafeteria, keen to get some insight on how the cadets, and more importantly Nick, had been progressing.

The polar bear glanced up from her fish platter while scooping another helping into her maw. "Who, Red? He's improving. Nowhere near where he should be but at least he's getting better. I was fairly impressed at how he's been doing on the obstacle course."

Judy beamed with pride. "Really?"

"Yeah, he only died 12 times yesterday. First day it was 38." She started laughing hard. "Only record of yours to be beaten so far." She started to retort before the bear cut her off. "He's actually surprised me a lot this past month. His endurance sucks but it's getting better. I'd say another three or four months and he'll be keeping up with the best of em. Now the academics? That's an entirely different story. His test scores are off the charts. Probably in the top percentile that we've ever had here."

Feeling a warmth inside, the rabbit tried to hide her smile as best she could. "So how did you think the exercise went today?"

"Honestly it could have gone better. They lost too many because of sloppy movements. That wolf, Howlerson? He's going to be a problem. The kid has great test scores, handles the course well, but he's a loner. One of the few wolves I've seen come through here that doesn't fit in with the pack mentality. It's an odd thing to see but it does happen." Grabbing a glass, Ursula filled it to the brim with ice water and greedily gulped it down. Running her paw over her mouth, she let out a belch and dug back in to her fish. "Now that fox of yours. Very odd."

"How do you mean?" Her interest piqued as it always did when it regarded her fox.

"From what I've always heard, foxes are loners. Would that be accurate?" Judy nodded, curious where this was going.

"Nick's not great at making friends but with the few he has he's very loyal and relatively close. Other than relationships like that, foxes are very specific about who they let into their lives."

"Well, not only has befriended cadet Howlerson but he seems to have also developed a close bond with cadet Forrest, the tigress that was his partner today."

Feeling a sudden urge to bare her teeth, a snarl ready to rip from her throat, Judy forced the feelings down as best she could. Hiding her shaking paws under the table, she forced a smile onto her face in response to the questioning look the large bear gave her. "Sorry Ursula. It's a...side effect...I think I'll just head to Nick's room for now until the afternoon course." Not even waiting for a response, Judy quickly left the room and headed down the hall. She had been through the Academy so often the last month that she knew the layout by heart. Her mind was on autopilot as her thoughts raged within her.

Once she was safely behind the closed door of Nick's bedroom, Judy faced her building fury. Slamming her fists into the large bed, she let her paws rest on the soft material. Taking several deep breaths she tried to calm her mind. Clambering up, the bunny took a position in the center of the mattress and folded her legs. She had been taking meditation courses the last few weeks, trying to find a way to control the overwhelming instinctual impulses she had been experiencing. She was determined to take back some form of control over her life ever since the incident with the hare, although she still felt he had deserved it. But hearing about another female becoming close with _her_ fox was more than enough to set her off. _That's my fox. No one else is allowed to have him._

_They are friends. He is allowed to make friends. You even wanted him to make friends here._

_Yeah but not attractive female friends._

_You know he'll never abandon you. He loves you._

_I-...I know. I just-...Gah! I hate this! There's no reason for me to feel this way but I can't stop!_

_It's a territorial thing, remember? Sarah warned you about this. It's just another form of control you will need to learn._

Her ears, which had been folded down her back suddenly perked upright, the grating sound of an unoiled doorknob being turned catching her ear. Judy's eyes snapped open, her vision fixed on the door in front of her opening wide to reveal a tired, but happy looking fox. Opening his mouth, Nick was about to greet his bunny when she dashed across the room and grabbed his shirt causing his eyes to open wide. With surprising strength, the young doe dragged him to the edge of the bed and flipped him onto it, shocking the stammering tod into silence. Slightly afraid to move, he eyed the mammal as she circled him, crawling slowly on all fours across the bed. Lowering her head, she gave him uniform several sniffs before growling loudly.

"I can smell her on you." Nick was more than a little concerned at the actions of the gray rabbit.

"Who, Carrots?"

"That...that _tigress_. She's all over you. I can smell her everywhere!" Jumping onto his chest, she began rolling over him, digging her paws and head into every inch of his body. "Mine. You're _mine_ , no one else's." Nuzzling her head into his neck, she breathed in the musk of her fox now mixed with her scent instead, the faint smell of the other female being overwhelmed by the purposeful spread of her own. Finally realizing what this was all about, Nick laid back and opened his arms, letting his bunny crawl all over him. This was an instinctual response that many predators learned about at a young age, but Judy, never having been exposed to such feelings, was finding herself incapable of not overreacting to these sudden urges. Once he felt her begin to calm down, her scent now strongly present on his clothes and fur, Nick wrapped his arms around her, drawing her to his chest.

"Carrots. You don't need to worry. Nothing will ever take me away from you. Lylah is just a friend." Stroking her ears slowly, Nick began rocking her back and forth, feeling the trembling start going through her tiny body.

Her voice harsh from trying to hold back her sobs, Judy spoke in almost a whisper. "I know Nick. I know. It's just...I don't know. This damn bond makes me so..."

"Emotional?" he offered, a smile on his lips. Feeling a slight tap to his chest, he let the smile linger while he held her tight.

"Shut up. Dumb fox." Sighing, she extricated herself from his arms and grasped his paw, dragging him towards the door. "C'mon, _foxy_. We have enough time to take a shower together before afternoon classes." A tinkling laugh left her mouth as he snapped to attention and gave her a crisp salute.

* * *

"Awareness. Being able to perceive if a situation is a threat to your well being or that of the mammals you are sworn to protect. It is one of the fundamental traits that we all possess. And it is one of the most important tools in your arsenal as an officer. Knowing when a situation will go from peaceful to horrible means a lot of the time you can stop it before it reaches that point. There are many cues to be learned about mammal behavior that will help you determine threat assessment but today we will be focusing on your personal awareness and how you handle those situations." Switching on a set of giant fans, Officer Hopps stood back as swirling sandstorms began pummeling the open air, daring the line of cadets to attempt the storm. "Now I know you've been running this course once or twice a week for the past month, so we're going to switch it up. Raise the stakes." Two more sets of giant fans were wheeled in by rhino instructors to the left and right sides. Throwing them a salute, Judy triggered both new pairs of fans, the crossing winds creating walls of flying sand.

"Spotters! Howlerson! Forrest! Mantle! Front and center!" Zoe, Tom, Lylah, and Chad all moved to stand in front of Judy. Chad's arrogant swagger was gone in the face of the surprisingly intimidating rabbit officer, his tail drooped low to avoid as much attention as possible. "You have sixty seconds. After that the suspect has escaped and you fail. Go."

The four mammals threw themselves at the course. Having been through it multiple times before, each of them felt confident in their ability to make it through once again. A little added wind would not deter them from their goal. However, it had not been a little added wind. It was a lot of it. Unable to see, the confused mammals became disoriented, none of them able to focus on their task. Several times one or more had fallen over another cadet, helplessly pinning them to the sand. The harsh winds sent what felt like thousands of glass shards into their faces and under their fur, the agony sending them scrambling in all different directions, desperate for cover.

One by one the four gave up and fell back outside of the range of the whirling sand and howling winds. Zoe had lasted the longest but even with her upbringing in Sahara Square she too was unable to conquer the storm. "This isn't a fair test," yelled Chad. The cheetah was feeling embarrassed and so went on the offensive, trying to reclaim a bit of his haughty attitude. "No one can get through that. Not to mention it would never happen in the real world so why bother training for something that doesn't exist?"

Before he had even stopped speaking, Officer Hopps had approached the sand pit. Cracking her neck and paws, she took a ready stance and dived in. The rest of the cadets watched as their instructor tackled the raging sandstorm. Nick stood helplessly by as his bunny forced herself through the course. Even though he knew for a fact that she was going to be fine, it was still difficult for him to watch.

Gaining her bearings, Judy flopped her ears over in front of her face covering her eyes, shielding them from the violence of the sand being blown into them. With both her sight and hearing removed from the equation, Judy focused instead on propelling herself forward. Utilizing an older method she had discovered when she was a cadet, the rabbit officer crouched down and dug her front paws into the sand. Dragging them back, she lightly packed a mound before bringing her rear paws forward and lodging them into the hole she had created. With a mighty thrust of her powerful legs, the end of her paws pushing off of the mound, she was propelled forward several feet, much to the astonishment of the other cadets. Landing further up the course, Judy repeated the action, flinging herself through the storm. After her third launch, she felt the change in the wind she had been waiting for. Angling her body to the left, she used her mode of movement twice more before clearing the stage through the avenue in the corner.

Shaking her paws across her body to clear off the sand that become lodged in her fur, Judy then carefully brushed her ears off, not wanting to damage the sensitive appendages. Turning, she spat to her side, clearing her mouth of the grit that had flown in as she had still needed to breathe during the course. Strutting up in front of the assembled class, her gaze was harsh and unforgiving, leading at least several of the cadets to avert their eyes. Flapping her ears back down to cover her eyes, she gestured to them. "The sand blocks my vision, so why should I use my eyes? The wind hinders my hearing, so why should I rely on my ears? I removed two of my major senses and the rest of them don't apply in this situation. So how did I do it?"

No one answered, more afraid of being made to do the course than they were of getting the wrong answer. "Dead wind." Heads turned towards the back row, their interest caught by the voice filled with confidence coming from behind them. Stepping forward, Nick elaborated on his answer. "When you moved forward, you were looking for a path of air that was less powerful than the rest. The closer you move to it, the less air is being disturbed until you have a dead zone." Taken aback by the stares of his classmates he shrugged. "I've had to use it to find shelter when I've been stranded in Sahara Square on occasion." By 'occasion' Judy knew he meant when he was homeless. Her heart ached for him and she wanted to run to him right then and there but it was necessary for her to remain professional and not let herself be biased towards any one cadet, even that one was her beloved fox. She silently vowed to postpone that affection for later that evening.

"Just so. You will never be able to anticipate everything in the field. Is it possible that this scenario will never occur? Yes, yes it is. However, it's still possible that it _might_. And if it does and you don't know how to handle it, you will be short one suspect when you finally get back to the cruiser." Pacing back and forth she made sure to look each and every mammal in their eye to emphasize her next point. "There are times when your senses are not enough. You need to rely on your instincts. Now everyone through that sand. Move it!"

After the sandstorm came the frigid ice wall, an obstacle that made Nick and the wolf cadets cringe. This had been their hardest challenge in the entire course, their bodies not made for climbing. The tod had spent many afternoons recuperating inside his dorm room with a warm blanket after failing the course. He was finding it difficult to get any sort of leverage in the wall to haul himself up, his claws just not long enough to dig in properly. "Delorn. Lunaron. Wilde. You're up first." Hearing his name called, Nick slowly made his way to the line, not looking forward to missing out on the rest of the afternoon because of the risk of hypothermia. As he passed by his bunny, he heard an extremely quiet whisper just loud enough for him to hear. "You'll do fine, sweetie. If you find yourself slipping, plant your rear paws up and push off. You'll clear the pond." Risking a glance her way, he gave her a wink to show he heard her, his smirk crossing his face for a moment. Resisting the urge to grin at him, Judy faced the three cadets on the line. "Go!"

Taking off across the frozen ground, the two canids were having difficulty finding any traction, their paws designed for rough terrain not slippery ice. Leaning forward, the two used their claws to grip into the smooth surface, stabilizing both mammals enough to keep their footing. Behind them, the rhino had very little difficulty traversing the terrain, his heavy weight pressing down enough to keep upright without any trouble. Though slow, his steady progress allowed him to easily catch his floundering classmates. Once at the wall, however, all three mammals were slowed considerably. Delorn, using his massive strength, worked at punching and kicking holes, using them to climb easier. Lunaron was leaping, using a scrabbling method of catching enough claw in the ice to move vertically several inches before frantically throwing the next paw and set of claws higher, his progress slow but still moving. Nick stood at the edge of the open water, unsure how to accomplish his goal. His claws weren't long or sharp enough to pierce the ice, nor was he strong enough to chip away at it like Delorn. He knew he must look like an idiot standing there, not moving to the wall but he also knew he couldn't accomplish the task the way it was set up.

 _The way it's set up._ The Vulpine inwardly smiled as a thought came to him. Not for nothing had he been one of the best hustlers in Zootopia. _Treat it like it's a hustle. There's always another angle._ Hoping this didn't end up making him look like an utter fool, Nick shrugged off his ZPA shirt and tore it into four pieces. Loud cries from the group behind him went ignored and he wrapped the cloth around both his front and hind paws. Glancing behind him, he used the excuse of looking at the class to lock eyes with his confused instructor, her violet orbs silently questioning his actions. Letting out a quick wink, Nick walked up to the water and quickly plunged all four paws into the ice water. Both of his classmates already partway up the wall had stopped to look down at him, finding his actions peculiar, but his confidence in what he was doing was what reminded them that they were halfway to their goal.

Nick, his paws slowly freezing, leapt across the water and slapped his paws to the wall. Immediately the freezing cloth adhered itself to the wall, the water in the cloth bonding to the ice. Quickly pulling his paws free, Nick reached higher, hauling himself up the wall, using the nature of the freezing temperatures to scale the formidable mountain. One of the rags came undone, his right hindpaw suddenly scrabbling at the ice before reaching the top. Casting aside the now frozen wraps, Nick gave the class a lazy salute before leaping down the backside and running for the end of the course.

Inwardly shrieking and jumping for joy, Judy was surprised to find herself not mirroring her imagination. She was so thrilled for her fox and completely stupefied by how he had overcome the wall which she knew was his hardest challenge. She resigned herself to a moderate clap as he reappeared from around the backside of the obstacle and joined the now cheering class. A mild flare of jealousy and anger struck while she watched the tigress slap him on the back but she managed to force it down, her pride at her fox's accomplishment overriding any unreasonable urges.

"Cadet Wilde, step forward." Looking immensely proud of himself, Nick sauntered forward with his signature smirk plastered across his muzzle. "You scaled the wall. But you didn't do it according to the guidelines. It was reckless, it was unorthodox, and it went against recommended tactics." She watched as his smile began to droop before continuing. "Nice job." It took most of her concentration to hold back a giggle as he looked overly confused. "A guideline is a suggestion. It doesn't _need_ to be followed to the letter. If you're stuck, find yourself a new angle. Find some way to turn your situation to your advantage."

"This isn't the school playground." Standing as tall as she had ever been, ZPD's first rabbit officer walked up and down the line of cadets now hanging on her every word. "The world is never the same way twice. You need to learn and adapt or guess what? You'll be dead."

* * *

Slipping the gloves on, Lylah pounded her fists together, dancing around the corner of the ring. Nick stretched up and secured her head padding, tapping it to make sure it was situated properly. "You're all set." Smirking at the tigress, he watched as she worked out her legs, getting her self loose for the upcoming bout. "For what good it's going to do you." Nick was more than aware of why Judy had chosen Lylah to spar with, but he wasn't going to tell the tigress that his girlfriend had become increasingly agitated because of their friendship, irrational as it was. He understood the strain she was under, these instincts wreaking havoc on her mental and physical state. Maybe getting out some of her frustration in the ring would help her mood.

Over in the opposite corner, his bunny was hopping up and down, her gloves and headgear already in place, her blue workout uniform stretched over her tight body catching Nick's attention. He felt a stirring in him, a strong desire to catch her up and take her back to his room but they had agreed at lunchtime that it might be a good idea to hide their relationship from the rest of the class, at least until after all of the training had finished. He found it difficult to keep his eyes from fixating for too long on her nubile form, his stares so obvious that he felt someone must have noticed them. But if anyone had, they didn't mention it.

"Go easy on her." The plea for mercy came from the red fox in the tigress's corner, a sly smile etched on his muzzle. Amused, Lylah turned back towards him and bared her fangs.

"Don't worry, foxy. I want be too hard on our cute little bunny teacher." Grimacing, Nick shook his head.

"I wasn't talking to you, Whiskers." The smile fading from Lylah's face, she turned to look at the rabbit in the corner who now had an evil grin stretched across her face. "Don't hurt her too bad, Carrots. I kinda like this one." Confusion mounting, the large feline was looking back and forth between the two mammals.

"No promises, sweetie. Not anymore." Judy's hopping stance had became less playful and more foreboding. Lylah continued turning her head back and forth rapidly, understanding dawning on her face slowly but surely.

"Carrots. Sweetie." She recalled his words from the very first day they met. _'I'm dating a bunny.'_ Elation suddenly filled her as she pieced it together. "She's your girlfriend? The rabbit officer who solved th-...Wait. Those 'tight jams' were the MM and Nighthowler cases? Holy hell. I've been friends with a celebrity's boyfriend for a month and never knew it!" Nick started to nod before stopping, his pleased smile melting off his face.

"Wait. I'm just the 'celebrity's boyfriend'?" The tigress laughed heartily.

"Pretty much, foxy."

"Don't worry, Slick. I still love you." Shooting his girlfriend an appreciative grin, Nick nodded towards the young doe.

"At least someone likes me. I'm going over to her corner." Strutting around the outside of the ring, Nick pulled up at the bunny's corner and climbed up. Reaching his paws through the ropes, he grabbed hold of her shoulders causing a small 'Eep' to escape in surprise. Calming her down by rubbing her shoulders, he started giving her a pep talk. "Okay Carrots. I've worked with this one for over a month. I could tell you all of her weaknesses but I won't for two reasons. One, I know you like a challenge and that you will beat her anyways. And two because I never bothered to look for any. You know how lazy I am out of bed." Leaning in very close to her ear, he whispered so that the sound of his voice would only be detected by her. "It's only when I'm _in_ bed that I'm very... _attentive_." Laughing at the now blushing bunny, he avoided a sudden jab at his expense by jumping clear. "Be careful Whiskers. She's feeling a bit _territorial_ right now."

"Terri-... _territorial_?" The large tigress was stunned before she started laughing, the overly loud guffaws echoing across the room. The fox and bunny exchanged glances, unsure what was happening. Wiping a tear from her eye, the feline snorted, the laughter still threatening to spill over. "I have no interest in your boy toy, Hopps."

"Why, because he's a _fox_?" The anger in Judy's voice was unmistakable and made Nick feel oddly moved by her seeming so protective of him.

"Let's just say I'd be more interested in you, Judy than in your _boy_ friend." She put a lot of emphasis on the word 'boy' causing Nick to suddenly slap his paw to his face in realization of where this was going.

Judy was confused. "You like rabbits?" Lylah couldn't hold it back any longer and laughed so hard she fell to the mat. Nick climbed back up next to her and whispered something in her ear. Judy blushed crimson, her face becoming rather sheepish as she let out a simple "oh" meekly.

Even with the confession of the tigress, Judy still found herself unable to shake off the feelings she was getting knowing there was an attractive female near her fox, regardless if she was interested in him or not. Growling, she pounded her gloves together, waiting for the moment where she could strike at the source of her anger. While she knew it was irrational, especially now that she knew where the tigress's preferences were, all she could think about was attacking her right then and there. Lylah, seeing Judy turn from meek to enraged in mere seconds was suddenly very apprehensive.

Hearing the bell, the overeager bunny and the somewhat hesitant tigress moved into the ring, both sizing up their opponent. While Judy could brag about beating a rhino in that very ring, larger opponents still held a difficult challenge for her, especially one that was as fast as the cadet she now faced. Tigers were large, strong, and agile. They may not have the same speed capabilities of a rabbit, but they had far more tools at their disposal. One thing that Judy could use to her advantage was her experience. The cadet was raw, barely a month into her training. And while it was clear she knew something about fighting, it was also clear that she had no formal training and was prone to mistakes.

Judy made the first move, dashing in a few steps towards the tigress's feet. Lylah's fist was already striking out only to meet air, the maneuver being a feint on the rabbit's part. Realizing her mistake, the feline tried to rear back and assume her normal stance when a sharp pain flashed across her forearm, the powerful legs of the Lagomorph striking just above her wrist. Angry at her mistake, Lylah pushed forward intent on making the rabbit pay for humiliating her like that. Striking out with a powerful kick, she attempted to strike the energetic gray mammal. In her haste, she overreached and left herself vulnerable for a counter which came in the form of a leg sweep to her rear supporting foot. Off balance, Lylah tumbled to the mat, landing hard on her side.

"Overreaching is one of the main mistakes a fighter can make." Judy spoke to the gathered cadets now surrounding the ring as she waited for the tigress to climb to her feet. "It sets you off balance and open to counter attacks." Hearing a motion behind her, Judy nimbly side stepped the furious punch and grabbed the orange and black wrist. Twisting, Judy put pressure on the arm, shoving it in the wrong direction of where it was supposed to go. Roaring in pain, Lylah tried to shake the young bunny loose only for the grip to become even stronger, forcing more pressure on the joint that was starting to become numb.

Her tolerance stretched well past it's breaking point, the large mammal raised her arm bringing the rabbit in direct line of sight with her. Placing her jaw squarely in front of the doe's face, she let out an ear splitting roar, fangs bared in intimidation. The look of pure satisfaction on Judy's face turned the savage roar into a pitiful mew. Realizing her serious mistake, Lylah could only shut her eyes tightly as two gray hindpaws struck out at her head, the muscular legs rippling with the energy they unleashed. Letting go of the now limp arm, Judy landed on the mat gracefully while the tall feline keeled over, out cold.

Casting her gaze over the stunned crowd, Judy raised her voice, making sure everyone present heard. "The single worst thing you can do in paw-to-paw combat is to let your emotions get the best of you. Anger can give you a lot of strength but it can also blind you, causing you to make rookie mistakes." Stepping over the large legs of the collapsed cadet on the mat, she looked down at the unconscious mammal. Unseen by everyone present except Nick who was looking for it, she let a ghost of a smile play on her lips while the embers of a dying flame burned in her eyes.

* * *

"Do you feel better now, Carrots?" Laying her head on Nick's chest, Judy breathed in the heavy musk of her fox, a feeling of bliss surrounding her. Wrapping her naked thigh around his, she snuggled as close as she could into his fur. She didn't really want to answer his question, knowing it would make her seem like a petulant child.

"I know it's the wrong thing to say or feel, but yes. I do." Intertwining her digits into his fur, she gave a short little tug, reveling in the sharp gasp of the Vulpine. "I just didn't like her encroaching on my m-" catching herself, Judy stopped talking knowing it was a dangerous path that she was traveling. Nick still was not in the right place for that discussion and she would not push him, no matter what her instincts were screaming at her. Seeking to change the subject, she brought up something she had been wondering for a while but never getting much time to talk to him about it.

Tracing circles on his stomach with her paw, Judy spoke softly. "Nick?"

"Yeah Carrots?"

"Where did you learn to play all those instruments like you did in Bunnyburrow?" A chuckle answered her, a short breathy laugh that sounded amused.

"That's a very complex story, Fluff. Tell you what, we'll tackle one now and the others at a later date. Does that work for you?"

"Piano!" Shocking herself at her own outburst, she blushed, the redness traveling up her suddenly erected ears. "I'd like to know about you learning the piano."

Sighing, Nick had a far off look come to his eye. "Ah. You would of course ask for that one first."

"I'm sorry Nick, we don't have to do that one right now."

"No, it's alright. We'd have to do it sometime, I already promised you we would take about all of them." He stroked her ears which were once again laying along her back. "Let's see. I probably started learning when I was about 8. It was a few months before the Ranger Scout incident. Mom had come home from another late shift, her paws too exhausted to even carry her up the stair to bed. She settled for the couch instead, falling asleep almost immediately. I had been in bed already. Putting myself to bed had become a nightly ritual since mom had taken up a third job to help us make ends meet. I wasn't too concerned with it. I was still naive to the world and figured this was simply how all families did things. Anyways, hearing mom come home but not make it up the stairs, I left my bed to check on her. It wasn't the first time she had slept downstairs but I knew I could at least make it a little better by bringing her a blanket to keep her warm."

Judy glanced into her fox's face to see him staring wistfully into some imagined distance, a warm smile gracing his muzzle. "I had left the radio on from earlier in the day and while the noise did not wake her up, it did have an unforeseen effect on her. At some point during the night, 'some point' I now know to be between 1-2am, the station had switched over to classical music. The harmony of harps and violins, cellos and flutes, they never really stirred in me anything. But my mother responded to the sound of the pianos." His eyes lighting up like a kit at Christmas, Nick became more energetic with each sentence. "Her paws had started moving on their own, moving back and forth as if being the paws behind the keys. I used to tell other kits she played a mean 'air piano'. I was so excited to finally find something that may make her happy that I kept it a secret that I knew while I came up with a plan."

"The school had recently decided to upgrade the music room. Now, since I had no love for anything to do with music bar the popular songs on the radio, I pretty much had ignored anything to do with the notice, but now I had a very good reason to be involved. I sought out the music teacher the very next day at school and asked what was being done with the old pianos. I was a little put out when he told me they weren't getting rid of the grand piano they had, but several of the keyboards were going to be donated to other schools in the area. I quickly asked the teacher how I could get my paws on one of the keyboards, but he was suspicious. Prejudices against foxes were a lot higher in those days than by even today's already low standards. Convinced I must be trying to scam the school or find a way to sell it, the teacher outright refused. It was only after I spent more than an hour telling the story of how sad my mom had seemed the last few months, how tired she was, and how I had caught her inadvertently mimicking the piano on the radio that his features softened. I guess he saw someone worth taking a chance on because he agreed to let me have one of the keyboards."

Judy was listening intently, every part of her rapt with attention to Nick's tale. "I can still remember her face when I showed up from school lugging in a keyboard taller than I was. The tears in her eyes as I told her about watching her paws when she was asleep, where I had finally convinced the music teacher to let me have that keyboard, it was all too much for her. She sat me down in her lap and hugged me for what felt like hours. I was thoroughly embarrassed but in the end it was worth it."

"Was she a teacher?"

"No, although she could have been. My mom was actually offered a spot at the Zootopia Music Academy for the Arts but she was unable to get the funds to go as a teen. She had such tremendous talent. She could have played at any music hall in the country. But life tends to happen when you're making other plans. She found a tod at the local high school, foolishly married him, and gave birth to a rascal that goes by the name of Edmund Humphrey Horncastle the third." He grinned down at the frowning bunny on his chest. "One of my favorite aliases, Carrots. One which I promise I am no longer using."

"Good, cause it's stupid." Clapping a paw to his chest, Nick gasped dramatically.

"You wound me, Carrots." Appearing a bit confused, Nick tapped his chin. "Where was I?"

"Horncastle the third."

"Ah yes. Right. Well my mom ended up starting a family and she put aside her ambitions of orchestras and concert halls. She told me she never regretted it for an instant but I still let it bother me for years that I may have been the reason she never got to live out her dream."

Raising her paw, Judy stroked his face softly. "She didn't feel that way, Nick. You know that."

His eyes a little downcast, Nick smiled at her, his emerald eyes crinkling at the corners. "I know Carrots. But as a kid it seems different from that perspective. Anyway, one of the first things she did was teach me how to play the piano. We did it every night after she would come home from work until I got good enough to keep learning on my own after school. Eventually I became good enough that I played for the same music teacher who had given us the keyboard." Judy wiped away a tear running down his cheek as he remembered the face of his mother being so proud of him. "I played during the winter recital that year. My mom had gotten a seat in the front row just to watch me play. And when I was done, her cheers and claps could be heard above everyone in that auditorium." He was now openly crying, the fur beneath his eyes darkening. Judy was having a hard time trying to stem her own tears as she gripped her fox tighter.

Wrapping his arms around his little bunny, Nick whispered the words he rarely let himself for the past three years. "I miss her."

Stretching herself up, Judy lightly pressed her lips to his. "I know you do, sweetie. I know you do." Curling up against him, Judy dragged his tail around them like a blanket and closed her eyes. Within moments, both were asleep.


	18. Chapter 22 - The end of Judy Hopps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I first created this story because of an errant thought about what would happen if the two mammals could not be separated. It was designed to be a short fluffy story. It was simply a side story to help take the edge off of my darker story. I expected it to last maybe 30k-40k words, not the 120k it has swelled to. Maybe 15 chapters or so, not the 22 it has become. A short fluffy tale much like my first story 'Never Argue With a Bunny.' What I did not expect was how popular it would become, how many people would come to love it. How it would evolve and change, my mind creating so many unique experiences for the two of them. How I would never have even thought about creating original characters. How I would deepen their relationship. How I would develop an air of mystery around our favorite fox. I really want to thank you all for your support of this story and I hope I've done it the justice I feel you all deserve. And now I present to you, the end of Judy Hopps.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia because if I did there would be a couple of different ratings based on my writings.

_***5 months into Academy, 1 month until graduation*** _

The busyness of daily life tended to fill the air with sounds of civilization. Laughter from the children's playground, the babbling of mammals seated at the various cafes, the occasional yell during a disagreement. While many pretended otherwise that these experiences were necessary for their daily lives, these noises simply filled in the normal silences that existed in nature. A throwback to their past, silence tended to make prey mammals uneasy, their instincts still strong enough to be wary of the stillness that would normally accompany the death of their ancestors. Predators for their part, felt the same uneasiness, but for drastically different reasons. Silence was what predators used to their advantage, to stalk and kill their prey. So it had become a staple of both classes to fill the background of their lives with white noise and static, finding a solace in their shared desire to remove the past from their current lives.

Today however, almost all sound was drowned out by the rumbling of overly large tires, a police cruiser casually driving down the busy streets of the Rainforest District. The mammoth sized vehicle looked like a miniature tank, the very sight of it giving out an impression of security for the law abiding citizens of Zootopia and a complete opposite effect of intimidation to the more nefarious characters of the population. Inside of the massive cruiser sat the most unlikely duo to ever be seen in the ZPD. Officer Francine Pennington, a female African elephant, sat behind the wheel, the seat designed specifically for her large form. A relatively playful mammal, Francine was well known for being rowdy, often found roughhousing with some of the larger mammals in the precinct. She also tended to have a relatively colorful sense of humor, many pranks being directly traced back to her. However, while she was used to being 'one of the boys' she still preferred the company of the female officers, finding a lot of common ground with them emotionally. It also didn't hurt that Francine was second to only Clawhauser when it came to office gossip. And the source of much of the gossip currently kicking around the precinct was her temporary partner for the day.

Judy was ecstatic. For the past five months Chief Bogo had been rotating her to work with different partners every few weeks to gain additional training, each officer having their own specialties that she could pick up on. She had worked with Francine twice before and had always enjoyed her company, the two mammals having similar stories of growing up. Neither of them had fit the mold their mothers had laid out for them. While Judy's mother had pushed hard for her to be a normal rabbit, growing crops and churning out kits by the dozen, Francine's mother had tried to get her to follow her footsteps with a career in modeling. Francine had done some jobs when she was a teenager, always easily finding photographers and companies vying for her presence for their clothing lines. While she had the perfect build for an elephant model, Francine hated the bright lights and fancy dress up days. She liked being with her brothers out in the fields, playing contact sports and getting dirty in the mud. So she secretly applied to the ZPA, only telling her family once she had been accepted. Even after ten years of service, her mother still found it difficult to talk to her daughter but made the effort to get together at least every holiday.

"So, how's Nick doing at the Academy?" The question was an innocent enough one, but it still made Judy slightly apprehensive. She was well aware of how Francine would often twist words around to fit more in line with a popular piece of gossip than an honest answer, so she always made sure to give as clear and as short an answer as possible, leaving nothing open to interpretation.

"He's doing well. Ursula let me know that he's able to finish both the morning exercises and the obstacle courses near the top of the class each day." Judy was thrilled with how well her fox had been doing in recent months, his hard work and extra studies paying off tremendously. She wasn't supposed to mention it, but the Major had confided in her that if his test scores stayed consistent he would be making Valedictorian in a month's time. It had taken all of her willpower not to cheer out loud at the news, concealing it from Nick later that night.

"You still visiting him a few times a day?" Glancing up at the elephant, Judy caught the wink sent her way, causing her to groan. There it was. The inevitable question Francine always asked. She was convinced, no matter how many times Judy denied it, that they were sleeping together; that the visits she had to treat her condition were in fact excuses to toss in the sheets to satisfy her 'bunny urges' which is why she always came back smelling heavily of 'fox.' Judy had needed to reveal her condition to each of the partners she had been working with so that they understood what to do in case of an emergency. However, she found that many of them did not believe her, some of them going so far as to accuse her of making it up to get special attention. Francine thankfully was merely the former, unable to comprehend how such a strange condition could exist.

"Nothing is going on, Francine. I'm afraid your rumor mill will have to shut down for anything to do with this rabbit," she snapped. Suddenly appalled by her behavior, Judy covered her mouth in shock. Unable to find the right words to apologize, Judy instead turned her gaze outside the window, content to simply watch the mammals as they drove by. Patrol usually meant a lot of window watching, keeping a careful eye out for any criminal activity they might not normally see. It wasn't as effective at spotting trouble as foot patrols but they were able to cover vastly more territory in the same amount of time. Francine, seeing her partner looking rather glum, decided not to press the issue, letting the rabbit sit in silence. After a few minutes, Judy turned back to her friend. "I'm sorry, Francine. It's a difficult subject for me to handle."

Giving the gray bunny a soft smile, Francine spoke, her voice gentle and understanding. "Don't sweat it, Judy. Sex is usually a hard subject for anyone to talk about."

"But that's just it! We aren't _having_ sex!" Judy blurted out, her mouth moving faster than her mind could filter. Shocked at her own outburst, she tried to hide behind her paws, desperately wishing Francine would change the subject. After a few seconds of silence, Judy chanced a look towards her partner only to see a condescending look on her face as if to say ' _I know you're lying so why bother?_ ' Something inside of her snapped. "We aren't having sex, dammit! And that's-...that's the problem." Her anger petered out, her words becoming a faint whisper, so quiet that even Francine's large ears barely heard her. Stunned, the elephant could merely sit there, her face a mask of stone. Knowing that if she didn't explain further, her admission would be all over the precinct by the end of their shift open to interpretation in whatever way people decided to tell it. "It's a fox thing, Francine, alright? It's just really hard trying to respect his wishes because of what I am. But I can tell you this, you don't need to keep the gossip column open on my 'supposed' sex life. When something happens you will know."

"I don't underst-" the pachyderm began.

"Just trust me. You will definitely, 100%, know."

* * *

"C'mon Whiskers, you're making me look bad."

After being forced to indulge in his friend's constant teasing, Nick had been relishing the past month and a half of morning training. Always left in the dust by the two mammals he had come to befriend and rely on at the Academy, he now took great joy in being able to consistently take the lead in their friendly little competition. Glancing back, the sight of the bared fangs of both the tigress and wolf currently trailing behind him should have scared him, much as it would have done many months previous. Instead it simply made him laugh, the idea of a fox being able to beat both of the larger predators in an endurance run seeming absurd and yet here he was, accomplishing it for the seventh week in a row.

Crossing the line, breathing a little heavier than he would care to admit, Nick waited for his friends to cross behind him. Months ago, Nick wold have found himself face down in the dirt, willing someone or something to put him out of his misery. These days found him bouncing up and down, ready to move on to the weights and cardio training. He marveled at the change in himself during his time at the Academy. It was not just a physical change, but a mental one as well. He felt freer than he ever had been. Of course, the Academy couldn't change everything about the stubborn Vulpine. He would still try to be as lazy as possible, often barely making it to morning drills in time due to his habit of sleeping in. He supposed he would normally miss training altogether if it wasn't a certain gray bunny always showing up to his room each morning. His sense of humor was not one to fade away either, his sass and dirty jokes often earning him extra assignments from his teachers. His most recent punishment came in the form of 50 laps around the facility due to a prank he pulled on Chad which involved three cafeteria chairs, twenty-seven yards of string, a slice of banana creme pie from that night's dinner, the flag pole outside, and all of Chad's underwear. He had gladly taken the punishment, pushing his tired body throughout the evening to complete it. Unbeknownst to him, Major Friedkin had taken pictures of the prank and posted it in the staff lounge, easily taking the top spot of pranks through the years.

The skidding of claws in the dirt cued the Vulpine in on the fact that his friends had arrived. Their breathing ragged, Nick could tell they had been pushing themselves rather hard in an attempt to beat him. He had not really beaten them by much, maybe fifty or sixty yards, but it was enough to aggravate the two mammals after being shown up once again."If I didn't like you...and didn't know for a fact that you...weren't cheating, I'd...accuse you of cheating." Tom was gasping for breath while he spoke, his body having a difficult time recuperating after the last sprint across the line. Nick simply smirked in response, the joking manner not lost on the tod.

Lylah gave him a firm punch in the shoulder, her actions reminding him a lot of a certain bunny he knew, although where Judy's hurt more, Lylah's large paw tended to knock him partially over if not prepared for it. "I'll get you next time, Foxy."

"I'll believe it when I see it. Oh wait, I won't see it since you're always trailing behind me. I suppose I could run backwards. Give you guys somewhat of a chance." Laughing, he dodged the next swing of the tigress's outstretched paw. "Careful Whiskers, if you get too rough my girlfriend might show up and put you in the ring with her again." Nick watched as Lylah began laughing, trying to hide the nervousness at his statement. His trained eye picked up the slight increase in her eye movement, his ears detecting just a faint trace of a cough behind the forced laughter. He had been enjoying holding the little rabbit officer over her head ever since the grudge match between the two mismatched mammals. Judy had been upset at the idea of another female invading her territory, and even though Lylah revealed herself to be gay, Judy still had a desperate need to prove her dominance over the other female. Although most of that, Nick surmised, was simply because of Judy's competitive nature. He had a strong suspicion that if Lylah had still seemed like a legitimate threat to her, it would have ended a _lot_ worse.

"I could take her. I wouldn't go easy on her next time," the feline teased.

"Who are you kidding?" Tom brushed himself off as he resumed standing, his breathing back to normal. "She beat you in five moves while giving the class a speech on what not to do. Which you did." The two canines now wore matching smirks, relentlessly teasing the embarrassed tigress.

The three reluctantly broke up as Major Friedkin stepped onto the field, clipboard in hand and cap on straight. "Thirty minutes Cardio. Begin."

* * *

Traveling through the Rainforest District was always one of Judy's favorite places to be. The mix of the modern stores melded with the natural beauty of ancient trees was something to behold and it thrilled her every time she traveled through. It had lost none of it's wonder from when she first came through by train, the glass dome of the observation deck covered in glistening rain drops. It was surprising to know that one of the most fearful moments in her life had happened only a few blocks from where they currently were. Shaking her head to get rid of the image of a crouching black jaguar, it's pupils mere slits, Judy turned her gaze from the window. "I need you to drop me off at the Mystic Spring Oasis around four."

Francine started laughing, her trunk swinging wildly back and forth as she chortled. "I can't believe you joined that club. You're so not the type and yet you're there everyday!" For months the precinct had enjoyed gossiping about the young doe's seeming obsession with the naturalist club. For as guarded and naive as the bunny had seemed, it was probably the last place in the city they would expect here to be at. Even more shocking was the reveal that during her hunt for Emmit Otterton, Officer Hopps had followed her only lead to the famed location. Many officers felt chagrined that a tiny bunny from the Burrows had more gumption to pursue a lead through there when it was always a place that most cops tried to avoid at all costs.

Rolling her eyes, Judy listened to the same comments she got from every officer she had worked with the last five months. It was a great source of amusement for everyone to imagine the meek prey animal being exposed to the ' _naked truth'_ of Zootopia as they called it. "I take mediation, remember? It helps me to focus control over the heightened instincts. Besides I handle myself just fine." Indeed, Judy had become so comfortable at the resort that she would casually strip on her way in, ready to begin her session. Luckily she had found a daily instructor that began at the same time everyday allowing her to keep her rotation schedule fixed.

"Uh-huh. And how long did it take you to finally ditch the underwear?" The elephant waited, her eyes never leaving the embarrassed bunny's face. Feeling a blush spread up her ears, Judy let her next words come out in a mumble. "I'm sorry what was that, hon?" Giving the elephant a harsh glare, Judy knew she was asking her to repeat herself simply for show, the elephant's ears being almost as good as her own.

"Two months." Francine began laughing once more, this time hard enough that the cruiser started shaking side to side. Growing tired of the mocking at her expense, Judy turned to focus her gaze outside the vehicle once more.

" _'I handle myself just fine,'"_ she mocked. _"_ I don't know how you can stand to be in there with all those naked mammals but more power to ya. I'd be heading home just as fast as possible and dragging my husband into bed as soon as I got there if I was around that much naked fur and skin for that long."

"Francine-"

"Oh c'mon Hopps, I'm just giving you some cr-"

"No, Francine! Robbery in progress!"

Directly outside the windshield, the pachyderm and lagomorph heard the alarm suddenly ringing out from a jewelry store just ahead o them on the corner. A small feline tore from the building, dodging and weaving between the legs of some of the larger mammals standing just outside. The margay raced across the street causing many mammals to slam on their brakes, multiple hooves and paws pressing down on their horns. It seemed as if the margay had overestimated himself on how much he should try to steal. A large bag filled to the brim with gems was being dragged down the road, the occasional bump causing several jewels to break free from the open top. The two officers watched as multiple bystanders were snatching the gems trailing behind the thief, intent on keeping the purloined stones for themselves.

"Francine, radio it in and stop those mammals from picking up the jewels. I'm going after the thief." Throwing open the cruiser door, Judy leapt to the pavement. Barely pausing as her feet hit the pavement, she took off, her speed shocking nearly everyone around her. Barely hearing Francine call out to her, Judy set her eyes on the thief in front of her. The small feline glanced behind him, suddenly aware he was being pursued. Spying the blue uniform and gold badge, the margay took the bunny chasing him very seriously. Realizing she was gaining on him quite fast, he did the only thing he could think of and began throwing pawfuls of the jewels around him. The chaotic swarm of greedy mammals slowed the doe enough for the margay to regain his lead. Thinking quickly, he scurried up one of the trees that crisscrossed above the river. Certain that he had lost the gray rabbit, he slowed down enough to catch his breath.

The sound of tiny claws scrabbling behind him made him pause. Fearing what he would see when he turned around, the feline filled his paw with tiny gems. Whirling to face the officer pursuing him, he let fly the gems using them like blinding sand. The ploy worked, the bunny now swatting at the tiny rocks flying into her eyes. Sensing an advantage, the margay pushed forward, using his hindpaws to kick at the distracted officer.

Feeling the impact of two kicks in quick succession, Judy frantically tried to clear her eyes of the sharp stones. Using her ears to pinpoint her opponent's position, she readied herself for another attack, her paws continuously swiping at her face. A disturbance in the air brought Judy's right paw up, blocking the attempted punch to her midsection. She underestimated her adversary though, a swift kick catching her in the thigh, the strength of it dropping her to her now weakened knee. Peering through blurred vision, the officer could make out the shadowy form of the margay raising his hindpaw to strike at her face. Thinking fast, Judy threw herself down, the kick whistling over her head barely missing her ears.

As the hour struck, a strong mist was sprayed from the pipes along the roadways and in the trees, coating everything with a clear dew. For the margay who was at home in this environment, it meant nothing. He was used to the rain and knew how to handle it. For the blinded doe, it was a different story. Her lack of paw pads and short claws made standing on the wet surface dangerous. Off balance, Judy desperately tried to clear her vision in order to prevent herself from being at too much more of a disadvantage. The water running down her cheeks helped to clear out the remaining grains from around her eyes, her vision clearing just before a solid punch struck her in the sternum. Her vest took most of the impact, but there was strength enough behind the punch to push her back several feet.

Slipping on the wet bark, she windmilled her arms trying to keep from falling into the pool of water below. Sensing an opening, the thief pressed forward, taking advantage of the momentary vulnerability of the rabbit. A sudden realization of what falling into the pool could mean to her, Judy turned her horrified gaze towards the sound of claws running along the bark. It seemed as if the feline moved in slow motion, his stripes and spots melding together to form an abstract painting of shapes and colors. Her slow breaths lasted for an eternity, knowing that each rise and fall of her chest might soon be her last. Flying through the air, the margay extended a leg that, even if blocked by the rabbit, would still have enough force to knock her off the edge, securing his freedom.

Bringing her arms up into a cross block, she felt the paw hit her strongly. The major damage being averted by her defensive posture, Judy nevertheless felt her own hindpaws slip backwards, forced off the branch. Flailing desperately, she slapped her paws at the trunk, trying to find some sort of purchase to prevent her fall, her short claws scrabbling in vain. The distance was relatively short but it felt as if it took a lifetime. The last image she saw as she struck the water, the clear liquid engulfing her body, was the sight of a simple thief grinning down at her as he gathered his ill gotten gains and scampered off. Her body no longer sensing the scent of her beloved fox, began drawing even deeper breaths, hoping to find that which sustains it only to fill her lungs with water. _After everything I've gone through, I was killed by a common thief._

Crashing through the brush while chasing the two small mammals, Francine had gradually fallen behind. While the bunny rarely left any trails besides the destruction of whatever got in her way, the jewel thief was easy to follow, the glittering gems littering the ground in almost a deliberate straight line. After passing several homes built into the trunks, the elephant finally spotted movement on the tree above her. Concern for her partner mounted as she watched Judy be pushed back, taking several strikes to the torso and leg. Seeing her bat at her eyes, Francine deduced the thief had blinded in her in some way. Water suddenly fell across the district as the new hour struck. Francine was finding it difficult to see the two battling it out, but she could make out that the rabbit was losing the fight. Her own breath catching, the pachyderm watched helplessly as the smaller mammal was forced to the edge and kicked aside. Her eye trailed the fall of her partner, seeing the pool surround and swarm over her. Unsure if she could swim, Officer Pennington stomped through the yard to the edge of the pool.

Reaching into the pool, she carefully wrapped the soaked bunny in her truck, bringing her in to her chest. The rabbit was breathing, but it was in sharp gasps. Her limbs twitched erratically, sometimes almost violently. As she appeared to be unconscious, Francine started to trigger her radio when a small gray paw reached up and grasped the front of her uniform. Eyes shrouded in panic, the small mammal uttered a single word before collapsing back into fits of convulsions. "C-Car." Turning the elephant charged back the way she had come. Mammals of all sizes who had left their homes to see what the commotion was paled and fled back inside at the sight of the running pachyderm. Bushes were flattened in her path, branches snapping off and flying to the forest floor. Emerging from the dense undergrowth, Francine looked around wildly. Locating the car a short distance away, the elephant's large strides reached it in several giant steps. Opening the door, Francine placed the fading bunny on the seat of the car. Beginning to panic herself, she thought back to what they had talked about when she was first assigned as her partner. Not having taken the 'Bond' thing seriously, she had let her mind wander instead to less important things, an action she wholeheartedly regretted now. Remembering something about a red piece of cloth, she had a vision of Judy getting into the cruiser that morning, stuffing a plastic bag in the glove compartment. Praying that she wasn't wrong, she yanked open the panel, revealing the red kerchief inside it's still sealed bag.

Knowing time was of the essence, Francine ripped the plastic in two, freeing the trapped cloth. An overwhelming scent of a predator, a fox, filled the cruiser. Francine wrinkled her nose at the stench, not enjoying the sudden onslaught of the scent. Picking it up, she moved it near Judy, hoping it would do something to help her. For several seconds there was no response. Francine, fearing she had been too late, made to move back when a twitch of the gray bunny stopped her cold. A small paw raised up, shaking heavily, and grasped the kerchief from Francine's trunk. Her paw slowly moving, Judy let the cloth drape over her face, her breathing stabilizing as her motions returned to normal. She was weak and very pale. Lifting the radio from her vest, Francine started to call in for an ambulance but was stopped by the wave of Judy's paw, her head shaking back and forth.

"No...ambulance...call...Nick..." The words took more energy than she had left and she fainted, her eyes rolling back into her head. Unsure of what to do, Francine just stood there for several seconds. She was torn between doing what she felt was the smart thing and doing what Judy had asked her to. If Francine was right, then calling an ambulance would save her life. But if Judy was right, calling that ambulance would most likely be the thing that killed her. Her gaze flickering back and forth between her cell phone and her radio, Francine let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. _I really hope this is the right thing to do..._

* * *

Nicholas Wilde felt as if he were on top of the world. And for the many mammals attempting to tear through the Academy obstacle course, he was. Standing on top of the ice wall, the proud fox smirked down at all of his fellow cadets, each of them attempting to clamber their way up. Many saw what he was doing as showboating. He felt that he was merely showing support for his comrades, motivating them to keep trying harder. "C'mon Whiskers, you can dig your claws in better than that. Tom, maybe you should hitch a ride on Delorn's back." The rhino, looking very upset by that idea, brushed an arm down his back to make sure there wasn't a wolf hanging onto it.

"Shut up, Foxy. Jeez, you'd think you were an instructor or something." Laughing, the Vulpine stared down at his tigress friend.

"Maybe I am, Whiskers. A secret teacher sent to spy on all of you." A vibration from his pants pocket made him fish his paw inside. Still chuckling, Nick hauled out the cell phone he kept on him at all times. Not recognizing the number, he answered the call, now choking back a laugh at the rude gesture being sent his way by the angry tigress. "Hello?

_"Is this Nick Wilde?"_

Figuring some marketing service had somehow gotten his number, Nick made a mental note to end the call as quickly as possible and start messing with his friends some more. "You got 'im."

 _This is Officer Pennington."_ Nick's blood suddenly ran cold, all the merriment draining from his face rapidly. _"I'm Judy's partner today. Something...happened...and she's in a bad way. I was told to contact you."_ Without waiting for the officer on the other end of the line to finish speaking, Nick had leapt from the top of the ice wall, his paws clearing the frozen pond at the base. Digging his claws into the ice, he took off as fast as he possibly could until reaching dry ground, his speed only increasing as he frantically spoke into the phone.

"Where are you?"

_"We're in the Rainforest District. Corner of Sapling and Grove."_

Thanking whatever entity was watching over Judy for letting them only be in the Rainforest District, he dropped his head and dashed into the parking lot. Sliding over the hood of his Mustang, Nick quickly got into the driver's side. Flipping down the visor, Nick caught the keys with a practiced flick of the wrist, the keys already halfway into the ignition before he raised the phone back to his ear. "I'm on my way now. You need to stay there. Whatever you do, do not leave that area." The squeal from his tires would make a rabbit's ears bleed and the burning rubber would make a wolf lose his lunch. The sudden acceleration of the vehicle had him whipping around the parking lot and out onto the open road. "How is Judy? Does she have the kerchief?"

 _"Yes, she got it when we got back to the car. A thief had kicked her into a pool-"_ Nick swore loudly, suddenly overcome with an intense desire to tear that mammal to shreds, "- _she wasn't breathing well and her limbs got all twitchy."_

"But the kerchief helped?" Weaving in and out of the light traffic outside of the city, Nick was having difficulty maintaining control as he increased speed while on the phone.

_"It...brought her around, but after she told me to call you she... passed out."_

"Alright. Officer Pennington, was it? Keep that kerchief over her face and don't leave that spot. I'll be there as soon as I can. And officer, you were right to call me and not an ambulance. They can do nothing for her." Hanging up the phone, Nick tossed it into the passenger seat. Keying up a device that been installed recently but never used, Nick flicked a switch causing red and blue lights to flash from his headlights, a siren wailing from the speakers installed on the outside of the car. Chief Bogo had readily accepted Nick's recommendation to put lights and a siren on his custom car in case of an emergency just like this with the condition that he would never use them for anything except for an emergency.

Speeding through into Savannah Central proper, Nick began pushing the limit of his automobile's capabilities. The speedometer ticked 110mph. Then 120. Then 125. Driving like a mammal possessed, Nick began employing every trick he had ever learned from Flash. Coming up to an intersection, he cursed at the packed lanes, the cars would take too long to move out of his way. Glancing at the empty sidewalk, he took a risk and jumped the curb, slamming his paw down on the horn to signal other drivers coming the opposite direction to clear. A glancing hit to a lamp post left a rather sizable dent in the side of his car but it went completely unnoticed by the fox, the only thought on his mind was getting to Judy.

Making his way to the outer edge of the city, Nick found the streets mostly deserted. It was a slightly longer distance but had far less traffic than city center, allowing him to keep his elevated speed without interference. As it was still mid-morning, there were relatively few mammals on the streets and those that were quickly moved aside for the lights of a police cruiser. His eyes strayed to the clock more often than he would like to admit. He almost choked as he realized it had been nearly fifteen minutes from the time he ended the call until then. Nick wasn't sure how long the kerchief could sustain Judy, but he knew it wouldn't last forever.

He nearly cried in relief as the sign for the Rainforest District appeared ahead of him. Snaking his way down the long tunnel, the flashing lights illuminating the surrounding darkness, Nick found the empty streets, while helpful to travel faster than he should ever be traveling at, allowed him almost no distractions, his only thoughts being on how fast he could get to his rabbit, to hold her in his arms once more. Coming around the bend, he saw a sight that made his heart flutter in relief. Slowing only enough to safely skid to a stop, Nick jumped from his car and sprinted for the other set of flashing lights directly ahead of him. An elephant in a police uniform stood by the open door of the cruiser. Not even bothering to look at what must be Officer Pennington, Nick leapt through the open door. The sight of his beloved bunny unconscious before him stopped his heart. Slowly crawling over the center console, the tod hauled the young doe into his arms and laid down on the seat. Curling around her, Nick pushed her nose into the side of neck, letting out a silent prayer hoping to hear an intake of breath, a caress of her paw on his cheek.

There was no movement. No change in her shallow breathing. He felt his world beginning to crumble around him, all he could think about was how he had finally found someone to love and how he was about to lose her. Overcome with grief, his instincts took over. Before he fully understood what his body was doing, he had swiped his cheek down the side of her neck, the scent of his mark filling the inside of the car. Tilting her head to the side, he brushed his cheek against the other side of her neck as well. Knowing full well what he was doing now, he raised his head above her and angled his jaw, the last movement dragging down over the top of her head past her nose. Clutching her tightly to him, he let out a pitiful whine, his paw softly stroking her cheek, desperately willing her to return to him. Minutes dragged by, her breathing growing fainter, more ragged. He could hear her heartbeat quicken, almost unceasing, and then nothing. He had been too late. He had failed to keep her safe. He had broken his promise to her, to her family, and to himself. Tears stained his cheeks as he lost the will to move, his only desire was now to hold her until the end came. For both of them.

* * *

His world had collapsed. The one thing in this world that he had truly cared about was now gone. Ripped from him before he could tell her everything. How he had been ready to overcome his fears, to become one with her. And now he never would. He knew that he would need to leave soon, but he would not do so without his bunny. He would take her away where he would join her in peaceful bliss. Gathering her form into his arms, he cuddled her to his chest, preparing to leave. Burying his nose in the crook of her neck, he breathed in the scent of his mark that he had placed there. It should have been done so long ago and not as a last ditch effort to save her. He stilled as the faintest of sounds reached his ear. Frantically pressing his head to Judy's chest, desperate for any sound, he felt a tiny whisper of air tickle the tip of his ear. And then it happened...

_Thump-thump._

* * *

The drive back to their apartment was relatively short, but for Nicholas Wilde it was possibly the most agonizing 10 minutes of his life. After Judy had resumed her regular breathing, if not still slightly ragged, Nick had gathered her in his arms and headed for his car. Pausing a moment to thank Officer Pennington profusely, his paw resting on her knee which was the highest he could reach, he asked her to contact Chief Bogo and let him know he was taking Judy home and that they would be there for a couple of days while she recuperated. Assuring him that she would make sure everything was taken care of, Francine gave them an escort home, the lights from the cruiser now providing a welcome feeling rather than one of dread from mere minutes prior.

Reaching the apartment complex, Nick gave the elephant a casual wave and headed into the parking garage. Knowing that they were home had made him feel slightly calmer. But as he picked up the still unconscious doe from the passenger seat, he felt his own panic coming back. This had been such a severe incident that he simply did not know how her body would handle it. Would she still be the same bunny he knew and loved? Would she hate him for not being there sooner? Questions bombarded the poor Vulpine, his mind churning out best and worst case scenarios faster than he could dismiss them. Absorbed in these pointless and damaging thoughts, he passed by the doormammal, Dave, the older feline halting his greeting wave at the sight of his favorite tenant carrying the drenched bunny, her arms and legs hanging limply.

The long ride up to their apartment seemed to take a lifetime, Nick's gaze focused on the doors in front of him. He had forced himself to not look at her face, worried that if he did she may leave him again. The eventual parting of the doors opening up onto a lavish hallway normally bored the fox. When Judy had been there with him it had given him a sense of giddiness at her wonder of the ornate decorations. And now, with her body simply slumped over, he was filled with an urge to destroy everything plastered on the walls. To smash every vase and every table in sight. He wanted to make the world hurt the way he was hurting. But it was not what she would want for him. So he sighed, pulled his key from his pocket, and opened the door to their home.

Most of it was the way he had left it. The couches were in the same places, the bar was still fully stocked, the television still hanging on the wall. But there were new additions as well. Fresh flowers sat in a vase on the dining room table. Numerous pictures of the two of them hung on the wall or sat on the shelves. She had printed out some of their more memorable selfies together, in some ways trying to make it easier to live here without him. To lessen the loneliness she must have been feeling. He had known that same loneliness. At night he would take out his phone and scroll through the vast amount of pictures he had of her, almost always choosing one to lay next to him while he went to sleep. The rare times they had gotten to sleep in his dorm together were precious and treasured by both of them. And now, though the circumstances weren't worth the outcome, they were together once more.

Carrying Judy to their bedroom, Nick laid her gently down on the bed. Pulling a towel from the hall closet just outside their door, he put it next to him before pulling her into his lap. Slowly, carefully, he unbuckled her feet wraps, letting them drop to the floor. His paws fumbled briefly with the clasp on her belt but soon it too fell on top of the wraps. The tod's face was downcast, his movements slow as he pulled her vest off her body. Holding it reverently, he treated it with care and hung it over the chair near the desk. Turning his attention to the thin fabric of her uniform, Nick slowly peeled them off. Removing her pant legs and panties together, Nick could see the faint scar she had gotten from their adventure nearly six months ago. Tracing over it, Nick thought back to how that day was the reason she was like this now. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he gently gripped the bottom of her shirt, the fabric sliding up over her chest. Taking care to not harm her, he slid her arms through gently, the fur on her arms barely being ruffled. Finishing by pulling it over her ears, he noticed how they splayed to the sides, indicating no control over them. She had always been in control of her ears, whether they were straight up in excitement, or laid along her back in compassion, even droopy when she was sad, but he had never seen them so listless that they could be put anywhere by anyone. Nick smoothed them down along her back, how they always laid when she was sleeping. If not for the knowledge of what had happened, he could almost believe that she was.

Stripping out of his wet clothes, Nick took the towel and gently dried them both off. Dropping the towel onto the pile of clothes he had made at the foot of the bed, Nick gathered the doe into his arms and laid them both on the bed. Dragging her to his chest, he wrapped his tail around them like a blanket and held her tight. Repeating his actions from earlier, Nick swiped his cheek along both sides of her neck and down over her head to her nose. Slipping into a slumber, he locked his arms around her, whispering the words he had been thinking of since he had found her. "Never again, Fluff. Never again. I'm never letting you go."

* * *

With the next morning came the bright golden rays of the sun, it's beams dancing through the smudged window, casting pinpoints all along the walls. With every minute that passed, the rays moved around the room, illuminating more and more of the darkened areas. Once it had crept high enough, the flashing pinpoints happened to pass over the closed eyes of a small gray bunny, peacefully sleeping in the arms of a large red fox. Awoken by the annoying flashes on the other side of her eyelids, the young doe cautiously opened her eyes. Blinking away the morning haze, she let out a small yawn and stretched her arms and legs. Glancing around, Judy took in her surroundings. She knew she was at home, and she knew that her fox was with her, but she did not recall how she had gotten there.

She had a strong urge to rise and greet the sun, her body always ready to begin her day early, yet her fox was so warm and so comforting that she simply laid her head back down and stared at his handsome face. Reaching up, she trailed her paw around the orange fur of his muzzle before continuing through the cream colored fur beneath his chin. Missing the sound of his voice, she blew on his nose gently, rewarded by a subtle shift in his posture a flicker of his eyelids. Putting a paw over her mouth, Judy tried to hold back a giggle. Leaning forward, this time she ran her tongue over the tip of his nose giving him a quick lick. The reaction was a bit stronger this time, the fox's eyelids snapping pen in astonishment.

His face expressionless, Nick could only stare into the violet eyes of the bunny in his arms. And then like a wave crashing upon the shore, he broke. "Carrots. Oh thank heavens you're alright." Gripping her tightly, Nick buried his nose into her neck, breathing in her scent as if to prove it was really her. Judy, a bit concerned at this turn, could only stammer.

"Ni-Nick, what's wrong, sweetie?" Feeling a shudder go through him, Judy raised her paw and stroked the back of his head. As he pulled back, Judy could see the redness of his eyes, the darkened fur beneath them. He had been crying, and crying for a long time.

"You _died_ , Carrots." Her eyes widened and her face paled as he spoke to her, not a hint of playfulness in his tone. "You were knocked into the water. Your body started convulsing, your heart shutting down. Your partner called me but I was almost too late." The memories came flooding back, the rush of them nearly overwhelming the poor rabbit. The thief, the jewels, the fall... "I got there in time for your heart to stop. You stopped breathing." He stared into her eyes as he hesitated with his next words. Once he said them, there would be no going back, for either of them. They would have to continue down the path together. "I think it was only my mark that brought you back."

Judy gave a start at those last words. Sniffing the air almost desperately, she drew in the strong smell of her fox, the scent far stronger than simply burying herself in his chest. Looking at him, her eyes wide, Judy tried to speak, her voice catching. "Your...mark? Does tha-...Does that mean we're...m-mates?" The hope in her voice was powerful, the longing even more so.

Nick shook his head gently. "Not yet." In answer to her questioning and saddening gaze, he leaned down and tenderly placed his lips to hers. Her surprised resistance melted away after only a moment, the soft and gentle kiss causing her to feel light-headed. Feeling his paw softly stroke her cheek, Judy raised her own to run it along his. It was a moment that she wished could last forever. What never failed to amaze her was the feel of what was supposed to be her natural predator instead embracing her so lovingly. Her eyes closed, she could not see his other paw come to rest on hers, but she could still sense it and met him halfway. Their paws intertwining, Judy could feel his longer claws lightly scratching the back of her paw, the short fur offering no resistance.

Parting, they moved no more than a few inches away to catch their breath. Staring into each others eyes, they both felt the love they had for one another. It flowed between them, connecting them in ways they had only begun to imagine. Slowly and with a smile on her lips, Judy placed her paw behind Nick's ear and gently pulled him to her, pressing their lips together once more. His teeth grazed her lips as he parted his own, the sensation causing a slight moan to escape the bunny in his arms. Letting her own mouth open, Judy flicked her tongue out, running the soft flesh over the sharp fangs. A shudder of arousal ran through her form at the thought of those canines latched onto her.

Feeling the small tongue flit around inside of his mouth, Nick pushed his own longer one forward. Meeting between their lips, the two tongues danced around each other, allowing them to circle, tasting one another in ways that had never occurred to either of them before they met. The intimate act felt wonderful, the pleasure the sensations caused enough to drive them each mad with desire. A small caress to her side elicited a moan from the doe, the touch causing a variety of desires to surge through her. Latching onto his wrist, she dragged the paw up and down her side, from the top of her chest down to her hip, signaling she wanted the caresses to continue. Nick was only too happy to oblige, now openly running his paw along her body, the soft fur already tempting him to push for more.

Desires now coursing through both of them, they tried to keep things slow. They each wanted their precious moment to last for eternity. Interlocking paws, they once more settled for their lips coming together, this time a slight urgency in their movements. Nick broke away before pressing his lips to her neck causing the slight hurt look in her eyes to vanish as she tilted her head back, silently willing him to continue. He moved slowly, purposefully, his muzzle brushing along her fur before he would put his lips to it, leaving light kisses along her neck and shoulders. With each pass, he felt her shudder, the scent of her arousal spiking. Working his way back to her neck, Nick trailed his claws over her collarbone causing an almost violent reaction. Moaning loudly, Judy grabbed for his neck and hauled him to her, desperate for any more new sensations he could show her. Rooting through her fur, Nick grazed her skin with his teeth knowing it would excite her. Feeling herself overcome with need, the bunny wrapped her arms around the larger tod and tried to haul him on top of her. Slightly amused by her efforts, he rolled his body over on top of hers. Emerald met amethyst as they gazed at each other, both understanding what the other wanted, both of them willing to give it.

Positioning himself over her, Nick reached down and placed his paw above her mound. Feeling the slickness of her arousal, he slowly circled his digit, coating it in her essence. Judy watched as he slid his paw up from between her legs, the outstretched digit now glistening. With a smile, he looked at it before bringing it to her mouth. She would be lying if she said she had never tasted herself before, but the idea of licking her own wetness from his paw made her tremble with arousal. Looking up at him with half-lidded eyes, she poked her tongue out and gave it a tiny lick. The sultry look she gave him nearly sent Nick over he edge, his own lust steadily growing throughout their experience and he knew he would have to satisfy it soon. Letting his own tongue taste her, Nick returned her seductive look with one of his own. Sitting back, he ran his paw along his sheath, his erect member already emerged. Placing himself at her entrance, he looked deep into her eyes as he pushed forward slowly.

The pain Judy was experiencing was torture. She knew that because of his size there would be an adjustment and she had prepared herself for the discomfort, but the pain was blinding. He had barely put the tip in and already she was having a hard time trying to conceal the pain she was in. But her fox was a perceptive one and realized what was happening, the pain in her eyes revealing all that he needed to know. Lifting his hips, Nick pulled himself out of her and laid down beside her. The sudden feeling of emptiness, of him no longer being inside of her was even worse than the pain. She had wanted this for so long and to not have him after all this time was pure agony. She attempted to tell him that she wanted to try again but before she could utter the words, Nick had grabbed both of her hips and raised her above him, his back now on the bed. Placing her down, she found herself straddling his hips, his member riding along the front of her entrance.

She could feel the heat from it, could smell his musk as it surrounded them, making her dizzy with desire. Understanding what needed to be done, she raised her own hips and wrapped her paw around his shaft. Sliding it up and down her slit, much as she had done all those months ago, Judy let out a loud moan as it stroked against the nub directly above her sex. Feeling a shudder go through her, Judy relaxed her legs, not seeing that she had unknowingly positioned his tip inside her folds. Falling down, she was shocked at the sudden fullness inside of her, the pain once again lancing through her body. Instinctively, the rabbit raised her hips back up to try and alleviate the pressure, thrilled to find she did not need to remove him entirely from her. Composing herself and bracing to expect the pain, the small bunny let herself slip back down. Feeling her insides stretch, she took another inch before she had to force herself to stop. She settled into a rhythm, slowly raising and lowering her hips, steadily taking in more and more of his shaft with each motion. Halfway down, the pain became too strong and she had to settle for the depth she had accomplished for now until she she became accustomed to it.

Nick was in agony. He could do nothing except place his paws on her waist and let her do all of the work until she was able to take him. He could not force her to go faster without hurting her and he could not and would not do that to her. He wanted everything to be perfect for her, even if it meant enduring the worst type of torture imaginable. Letting his claws run through her fur, he reached up and trailed them along her chest. Moaning, Judy managed to sink down another half inch. She had nearly taken half of him and the sight was one that drove him to the edge of his desire. The feeling of her rising and falling on top of him, the heat of her sex enveloping his own, unconsciously made him lift his hips, slowly thrusting himself into her. The wide eyes of his bunny love made him realize what he had just done but before he could apologize he watched as she let out a throaty growl, her eyes rolling back at the sensation. In astonishment, he could only gaze at her as she sunk her whole body down on top of him. The pain was excruciating, but a new sensation had joined it. Pleasure.

Allowing herself time to adjust to him, Judy could only chirr happily as she ground her hips into his. The rolling of her hips was helping to alleviate the pain and served to only heighten her pleasure. Gazing down at her fox beneath her, she guessed the motion was helping to heighten his as well. Rolling her hips again, she purred as his eyes rolled back, his paws flexing as if wanting to put them somewhere. With the pain fading, Judy reached down and grasped his paws. His attention now focused on his bunny, Nick watched wide-eyed as she placed his paws on her hips. Their eyes met and Nick questioningly raised his hips. A sharp gasp and a smile from the beautiful rabbit above him encouraged him and he raised his hips again, softly thrusting up into her. With his next motion, Nick grasped her waist and picked her up slightly, bringing her back down to meet his upward thrust. A cry echoed throughout the room, the young doe overcome with pleasure.

Using her strong legs, Judy pushed her hips up as Nick would lower his own, before bringing them together. They developed an unspoken pattern, one rising one falling, each time bringing their hips together a bit faster, a bit harder then before. The fox brought his paws up to caress her chest, letting their slow motions bring them both closer to ecstasy. Nick was so caught up in the feelings and emotions he was experiencing that he did not sense his knot beginning to swell, telling him his time was near.

Judy was in sheer bliss. She had caught herself having a few small orgasms as they rose and fell together, his size reaching her in places she didn't even know she had. Feeling herself hitting something hard and round, Judy looked between them to see his knot expanding. After already having taken his length, she understood the pain that taking it in might cause but she also knew it was critical. Gathering herself together, she continued their motions, each stroke causing her to come closer to the edge of oblivion. Just as the swell began to break, Judy forced herself down, the large mass slipping inside of her as all of her muscles relaxed as she came. The pain from the stretching was immense, but she was so caught up in her pleasure that she ignored it.

Feeling himself nearing his own release, Nick suddenly felt a pressure on his lower sheath. Distracted, he looked down to see his bunny sinking down, completely taking his knot within herself. He wanted to panic knowing she must be in intense pain, but the sight of her face in pure rapture mixed with the sensation and sight of her completely enveloping him was too much and he came, his seed pouring from his shaft deep inside her body.

It took several minutes for them to both recover, their bodies both sore and exhausted. Their passion sated for now, Judy laid on his chest while Nick wrapped his arms around her. "That was wonderful, Nick."

"Yes it was, Carrots. I never imagined it would feel anything like that."

Judy smiled softly. "Oh I imagined it, but that was so much better than my crappy imagination." Nick chuckled before settling down. A few minutes passed before she spoke again. "Nick, does this mean that I'm..." He understood the unspoken question.

"It's just a fox tradition, Carrots. You don't have to follow it if you don't want to."

"Oh I do!" she exclaimed emphatically. "I've wanted it more than anything else since the day I found you again." Raising her head back she paused, waiting for him to start the ritual. Leaning forward, Nick once again swept her neck and between her ears with his cheek, marking her forever as his mate. Putting his head forward, she raised her chin and rubbed it along his neck and between his ears marking him forever as hers. Smiling contentedly, she snuggled into his chest. "Today and for every day yet to come and beyond the rest of my days, I am Judith Wilde."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: I hope you didn't think I was killing off our favorite rabbit officer or ending this tale. Their story is nowhere near complete.


	19. Chapter 23: Graduation, Satisfaction, Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! At a certain point in the story there will come a scene that some may like, some may not. I don't know what the differences are between 'lemon' or 'smut' or 'w/e' but you know that scene from last chapter? The loving, romantic, sensual scene? Yeah, this ain't that. This ain't that AT ALL. I'll mark it with a few asterisks so if you want to skip it that's where it is. But DAMN. Seriously.
> 
> Disclaimer: *calls Disney* Screw you Disney! I have OC's now! Now give me Zootopia or I will unleash them on the world! Muwhahahaha! Oh...Really? I see. Yes, I understand. Yes I do want to keep my testicles. Yes, thank you. *Hangs up* Jeez. Mickey doesn't mess around...

"Cadet Forrest, you have been brought before the Academic board at your request for an audience. This is a rather unusual proceeding, especially on graduation day, however, due to your exemplary performance in the Academy we will allow it. What is it you wish to say?"

The tigress tried to control her tail which was twitching apprehensively, the appendage having a mind of it's own as it reacted to the feelings and instincts the feline was experiencing. Keeping her head raised and her eyes forward, the cadet, who in a few hours would be an officer of the law, did her best to stand confident under the gaze of the intimidating mammals in front of her. Sweeping her eyes across the committee, Lylah noted the five in front of her. To the far left sat Captain Taxedia, the badger in charge of marksmanship, a class the feline was proud to say she excelled at. Next to him sat Major Friedkin, the taxing polar bear drill instructor that had left all of the cadets feeling a bit of animosity towards her at one time or another. In the center was Chief Bogo, an intimidating cape buffalo that, despite his harsh nature and overly gruff attitude, almost every cadet wanted to serve under, herself included. Continuing down the line was Staff Sergeant Grevy, an overly large zebra that had been their fighting instructor when the Major had not been having them go toe-to-toe with rhinos and elephants. Rounding off the table, Lieutenant Persica, an aging female lion in charge of the academics portion of their training, sat without expression. One who didn't know her well would assume she was simply bored, but those who did could tell she was in serious contemplation.

"Ladies and gentlemammals, thank you for seeing me this morning. I wish to bring something to your attention that I feel needs to be recognized." Most of the committee sat up a little straighter, their interest slightly piqued. "I have been awarded the honor of Valedictorian, and I would like to thank you all for that. Since I decided I wanted to be a police officer, I have worked very hard to achieve this very goal." Gathering her courage in the face of such imposing figures, she continued. "Buuut..." Several eyebrows arched at the word, unsure where this was going. "I don't feel I deserve it."

"I don't understand," Chief Bogo began. "You placed at the top of the class, why would you feel it was undeserved?" Lylah stared straight at her future boss, unwilling to back down from what she was about to say.

"Because the honor should go to Cadet Wilde." A couple of the members started to raise their voices in objection before Bogo slammed his hoof on the table.

"Enough!" His bellow made a couple of mammals flinch. Even as much as they interacted with the buffalo, he was still a mammal that was intimidating, even if he hadn't been the Chief. Turning back to the cadet in front of him, his scowl still firmly in place, he waved his hoof towards her. "Explain. You outscored Wilde so why should _he_ be Valedictorian?"

"I outscored him because of a technicality. One which you all imposed on him." Lylah noticed how the the other mammals looked confused, only the Major and the Chief looking stoic. "Okay, so only you two knew about it then. I beat Wilde by two points. Two! You want to know _why_ I beat him? Because of the fact that when he missed two days his tests and performance were given negative points. You subtracted points rather than just give him a zero."

"Wilde knew the terms when he came here." Bogo looked slightly uncomfortable as he spoke but he was not going to be intimidated by a cadet who hadn't even left the Academy yet. "He knew what would happen if he left."

"You mean when he left to _save someone's life?"_ Lylah was dumbfounded. "How can you try to uphold the ideas of 'protect and serve' if you penalize a cadet for doing exactly what you ask them to do once they get their badge?"

"Cadet Wilde-"

"Cadet Wilde scored the highest scores in Academy history on academics, improved the most out of all the other cadets since arriving here, and managed to outclass everyone in marksmanship. I couldn't best him in the ring and by our fifth month he was running the obstacle course better than ninety percent of the class. If he had been here those two days, simply signed his name at the bottom of the tests and sat back on a beach chair outside he would have outscored me by a long shot." Noticing she had balled her paws, the claws now cutting into the pads, she forced herself to relax, a difficult task for the mammal. "You are doing a disservice to both the Academy and Zootopia by not recognizing that Cadet Wilde is one of the top mammals to ever come though here simply because he left to save someone's life. A life only _he_ could save. Isn't that right, Chief? Major?" The two mammals shifted in their seats, both not enjoying the scrutiny of their fellow committee members who were now staring at them intently.

Leaning together, the five mammals began a heated conversation. The words were just low enough that Lylah was unable to make out what they were saying but by the animated gestures by some of them that it was one of importance. After several long minutes, they broke apart and Chief Bogo resumed staring at the nervous tigress. "We will let you know out decision before the ceremony. Dismissed Cadet."

Saluting, Lylah turned on her heel and marched out. She felt slightly better now that it was over but couldn't help but still shake at the experience. She was not a timid mammal by any means, usually willing to step in and fight even against horrible odds simply because it was the right thing to do. But the five mammals in there had spent the last six months grilling into her all of their knowledge, much like her parents had done her whole life. And just like parents, they seemed to be able to make her submit with relative ease. If not for her passion about the situation, she might have turned tail and fled before uttering two words. Pulling out her phone, she quickly sent a text to a number she only recently had added to her contact list. _They are considering it._ Heading towards her dorm room, she planned on getting one last brush down of her dress blues before putting them on.

Across campus, in her own uniform waiting for the ceremony to begin, a gray bunny pulled out her phone and smiled.

* * *

Watching his mate ascend the steps to the podium, Nicholas Wilde found it hard not to simply stare at her, her dress blues looking perfect on her lithe body, not even a tassel out of place. Since the progression of their relationship only a month ago, the pair had experienced many nights at the Academy that required more than a little muffling into the pillows, the dams of their passion broken with their first time, months of pent-up lust surging forward in a wave that seemed unlikely to ever end. Judy had taken to bringing deodorizing spray to get rid of the traces of their mingled scents both on them and the sheets but Nick could tell it wasn't fooling everyone. Tom in particular would waggle his eyebrows at him each morning after their activities, his powerful nose detecting even the faintest traces that told of their time together. And of course, after all that time spent together, Lylah had learned to read Tom pretty well. When he knew, she knew, and then the teasing would start. Although they rarely ever got a rise out of him as his bunny would leave him in such a state of bliss that it was a wonder he could walk and talk let alone run through his lessons. Straightening his tie, cinching the knot tight, Nick took a casual stance, enough to not get him reprimanded but not enough to make him feel uncomfortable.

Judy was nervous. She was not the best public speaker, her three press conference disasters over the last year being more than proof for that. This time, however, she felt that she would do just fine. For one thing, she had time to prepare for this one. She had been informed nearly three weeks ago that she would be the one to to deliver the graduation address. For the other, she was in the presence of her fox, the lone Vulpine staring at her with his signature aviators on his muzzle. She felt a shiver go through her body as she looked down at his paws, the rough pads working the knot of his tie, his long tongue giving his muzzle a small lick to soothe the drying skin.

She had been feeling it more and more since they had officially become mates, her libido increasing by an overwhelming amount. It was all she could do to avoid thinking about him at work, although her professionalism and training never let her down, her duty always coming first. Being this near to him however was tormenting, her body crying out how much it wanted him, wanted to be joined with him. But this was _his_ day. This was his moment to shine and there was nothing she wouldn't give for him to have this. _And of course, there's always time to celebrate later,_ she mused with a wicked internal grin. For now, she merely approached the podium, climbed the small set of steps to reach the proper height, and smiled down at the waiting cadets.

 _"_ When I was a kid, I thought Zootopia was this perfect place where everyone got along and anyone could be anything. Turns out, real life is a little bit more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker. Real life is messy. We all have limitations. We all make mistakes. Which means―hey, glass half full!―we all have a lot in common." Smiling broadly at the assembled future officers, Judy felt a certain pride come into her heart. These mammals were to be her new brothers and sisters in blue. "And the more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each of us will be. But we have to try. So no matter what type of person you are, from the biggest elephant to our first fox," Letting out a small smile, Judy looked at her mate standing there in his pressed uniform, immensely proud of himself, coffee in his paw. Lifting his glasses, he gave her a quick wink before she continued. "I implore you: Try. Try to make the world a better place. Look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us. _"_

One by one the mammals moved along the stage, the gray bunny pinning their new badges to their uniforms. She watched as several of them tried to hide a tear in their eye, their emotions getting the best of them. Even Chad, the disgruntled cheetah nobody had been overly fond of, gave her a crisp salute as his badge was given to him. Judy could understand how they felt. She had been in the same position less than a year ago, her own graduation still something she thought back to fairly often. It had been one of the memories she had chosen to use during her meditation sessions, trying to attain feelings of contentment and joy. It was one of the very few that didn't involve Nick, the fox having been part of nearly everything good in her life since he essentially _was_ the good in her life.

With only two cadets left, Judy glanced at the paper she had been using to call off the names. Seeing the name on top, her smile grew very wide, her eyes twinkling with joy. "This year's Salutatorian," Nick stepped forward, ready to head to the stage, "Lylah Forrest." Enthusiastic clapping came out from the crowd and a roar from a middle aged tigress who was standing next to sharply dressed moose, both of whom were beaming with pride.

Stepping around the slightly stunned fox, Lylah glanced down at him and smiled, her teeth flashing in the bright sun. "Not this time, foxy." Nick could only stare at the back of his friend, his thoughts still a confused and jumbled mess. He could tell there was something he was missing, a bit of the puzzle he couldn't quite put his paw on, but he chalked that up to being distracted as his mate pinned Lylah's badge to her chest. He kept racking his brain trying to figure out exactly what he couldn't figure out. When the tigress took her spot back in the ranks, Nick scanned the area, trying to determine exactly what was off. Finally, looking over his fellow cad- _officers_ and seeing the glare shining off the gold on their chests, he realized what was off. He was the only one left without a badge. And if Lylah had just been recognized as Salutatorian, that only left-

"And this year's Valedictorian, Nicholas Wilde." Looking up, Nick saw his mate staring at him, pride in her eyes and a pleased grin on her face, her paws clapping loudly, all sense of decorum lost in her excitement. Forcing his legs to carry him towards the stage, Nick quickly took off his glasses, hooking them them into his back pocket. He glanced at Lylah as he passed by, the tigress looking down at him smugly before clapping her paw on his back, the impact pushing him forward several feet. A genuine smile now finding it's way to his lips, the tod began to get feeling back in his body, the emptiness of shock being replaced with the glow of pride. Ascending the small set of stairs in front of him, Nick felt his elation grow with every step he took. Stopping in front of the small bunny, Nick puffed his chest out, the act both sincere and partially comical, a combination only Nick Wilde could pull off. Shaking her head slightly at his antics, Judy placed his badge on his chest, pinning it gently, her paws lingering against him a little longer than was necessary. Tilting her head, Judy stared deep into his piercing green eyes. "Congratulations, Officer Wilde."

Staring back, almost losing himself to the pools of beautiful amethyst in her gaze, he let out a quiet whisper, one only she would be able to hear. "Thank you, Officer Wilde." Judy felt her body swoon at his words, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her. She could almost feel her arousal heighten as it did whenever she was near him, the sight of him mixing with the smell of his mark on her never failing to get her bothered. Trying to control the sudden unprofessional urge to clasp him in a hug or, if her body did not feel that was enough, to tear his uniform from him, Judy quickly saluted which he graciously returned, his twitching nose telling him all he needed to know about her current train of thought.

A thunderous sound, a mix of roars and trumpeting, had the duo turning to see the group of new officers throwing their caps in the air, celebrating their graduation into the police force. Flashing his mate a smirk, the red fox leapt from the stage, his aviators suddenly appearing on his muzzle seemingly out of nowhere. Grabbing his own cap, Nick looked at the rest of his classmates, already noticing that the traditional cap throw was over. Instead of being late to the party, he flipped it in his paws and hurled it frisbee style towards the gray bunny still next to the podium. Purposefully leaving it short and knowing how competitive Judy was, Nick watched the athletic rabbit jump in the air, her paws reaching out to catch the surrendered cap. She realized too late what his intentions had been, her body now on target to hit the ground. Two large russet arms saved her from her untimely 'demise,' snatching her from the air and dragging her to his waiting chest. She could feel the muscles through his uniform, his lean form having gained quite a bit of toning over the months. The change in his physique was what he would need to be an officer out on the streets, the increased strength and stamina necessary to get the job done, but Judy had already been admiring his new form for other... _activities_. Looking up into his mesmerizing gaze, Judy felt her lips go dry, her small tongue instinctively coming out to lick them, her half-lidded eyes causing a stir in the fox holding her tight. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers, his own celebration being far more enjoyable than simply tossing a cap in the air.

Loud whistles coming from all around them barely made them flinch, their kiss deepening, stirring their bodies in to near dangerous levels. Reluctantly breaking away before they both did something they wouldn't really regret but would probably cause quite a scandal, the two grinned at each sheepishly before he set Judy on her feet. Her ears standing straight up both in embarrassment and her still lingering desire. If she had the opportunity, she would drag him back to his dorm room, rip his clothes from his body, and satisfy both of their urges. However, there were still other mammals who wanted to congratulate her fox.

"Nick, come here!" Judy had latched her paw around his tie, pulling him towards the seating area. The tod smirked at her insistence, letting himself be hunched over, casually walking behind her. They didn't have to go far as they soon heard some very familiar voices.

"Stu! Bonnie! What are you doing here?" Nick was dumbfounded to see his mate's parents standing in the second row looking slightly uncomfortable by all the very large mammals standing around them, their roving eyes keeping a sharp eye out for giant feet heading towards them, their fear at being stepped on still very much real.

"Well we came to see your graduation, dear." Bonnie reached out to clasp his paw, running her own softer one over the back of it. "Judy told us it was today so we packed up for a weekend and came out to see the two of you."

Stu stepped up next to his wife, clearing his throat. "Congratulations, son." Holding out his paw, he had to wait only a moment before Nick grasped it, trying not to let his eyes tear up with appreciation at the sentiment from the older buck. "Oh and Jessica came too!" This last statement caused that misty eyed expression to suddenly disappear, his mate and him both looking at each other with a look of trepidation.

Feeling a pair of paws wrap around his waist, the first sign that this could be trouble was a narrowing of Judy's eyes as she directed her gaze to the figure behind him. "Congratulations, _fox_ ," came a voice laced with a seductive tone. Hearing a soft growl that got steadily louder as the paws did not retract, Nick acted on his own, gripping the paws lightly and prying them away from his body. Turning, he faced the young doe behind him, once again noting how very alike his mate and her looked.

"Um, thanks Jessica," leaning in closer he whispered into her ear, loud enough to carry over to Judy but still low enough that her parents wouldn't catch the words. "I think you should take your paws off me. Carrots doesn't look in the mood for you to be teasing." Looking over at her sister, Jessica saw the glare being directed at her. Laughing gleefully, she let go, slightly too reluctant for Nick's taste, before hopping over to Judy. Wrapping her paws around her drawing her into a tight hug, she kissed her on the cheek.

"Don't worry, sis. I'm not really trying to steal your mate." Grinning madly, she ruffled her sister's ears, not knowing that this was also a favorite pastime of Nick's. "I'm just trying to get a rise out of you."

"Well it's working, and I would suggest you don't." Breathing deeply while closing her eyes, Judy struggled to get her feelings under control, the instinct to tear into her sister all too real. "I still haven't managed to get everything under control and my protective instincts are going haywire at the moment." Letting her go, Jessica took a step back muttering an apology. She could see how much stress her sister was under and she felt a little ashamed that she had been the cause. "It's okay, Jess," Judy let her know while opening her eyes. "You didn't know and I'm sorry I let myself go that far. It's just...it's not easy."

"I can understand that, Jude. It must be very hard to not snap at everyone who looks his way, espe-" she cut herself off before remarking on how handsome the tod was, not wishing to provoke her sister's ire again. Clearing her throat, she changed the topic. "So what do you guys want to do now?"

"Lunch?" Nick suggested, his stomach growling loudly.

"Sounds good to me," Judy's own stomach mimicking his. "Milos'?" Hesitating, Nick leaned down, his muzzle directly in her ear. Trying to ignore the hot breath he was expelling on one of the most sensitive spots on her body, she barely heard what he was saying.

"Are you sure, Carrots? You don't mind sharing our special spot?"

Putting her paw on his arm, she gave him a soft smile. "Nick if you don't want to take them I'm okay with that. But I personally don't see any reason not to. My parents have already been there and I wouldn't mind letting them see it again. Besides, we always can go tomorrow night," a mischievous smile creeping across her lips.

"Oh no. Don't give me that look. The last time you gave me that look I spent $30 on a movie I never got to see. Twice!" Judy, now laughing, bumped his hips knocking him slightly sideways. While she headed over to her parents and sister to tell them about where they were going to lunch, Nick took a look at the campus for what he hoped was the last time. It wasn't that he had a horrible experience there, in fact it had been quite a rewarding one. But if he had to hear 'You're dead' one more time he might scream. His gaze wandering over the ice wall, he remembered the horrors of that experience, the many cold afternoons he spent shivering after being hauled from the freezing water. That was, up until he had figured out how to beat the wall. Since that accomplishment, he had challenged himself to find many more ways to scale the behemoth sized monster, taking his bunny's message of adapting quite seriously.

His reminiscing of days past now over, Nick started to turn back when a sight made him pause. Out near the edge of the field stood Lylah, his tigress friend. She was speaking to a female cheetah who he recognized as their fellow classmate, Zoe, a rather soft-spoken officer. Their voices were too low to carry over but he could tell by the slight twitching of Lylah's tail that she was nervous, her movements hesitant. Zoe shook her head before placing a paw on Lylah's suddenly slumping shoulder. Turning, the spotted feline walked away, leaving the tigress motionless, her eyes fixated on the form of the cheetah now leaving the grounds.

Nick was very good at reading other mammals, the trait being a necessity when hustling but also when living on the street. Making the wrong assumption was very likely to get you hurt, possibly even killed. So when his friend headed back his way, and he saw the shadow of hurt in her eyes, he made his way towards her, stopping just shy so she could see him before walking over him, her thoughts still consumed by something else. Noticing the russet fur that suddenly appeared in her path, Lylah stopped, her neck lifting her head, albeit reluctantly, to look him in the eye. "It's okay, Whiskers. She just wasn't for you."

Stunned, the tigress tried form a coherent sentence, attempting to convince him he was wrong and that he didn't know what he was talking about. However after several tries produced only nonsensical mutterings, she relented, her stiff form once again drooping. "How could you tell?"

Nick snorted, his gaze never wavering from hers. "I've been around enough to recognize body language pretty accurately, even from a distance. Don't worry, Whiskers. The right one will come along, even when you least expect it." Suddenly engulfed in two very large arms, the Vulpine felt himself being squeezed a bit too strongly for his comfort, the air being forced from his lungs by the desperate hug of the dejected feline.

Judy had just finished telling her parents where they were going, the two being very excited to see the special table again. Jessica tried very hard to wheedle out of Judy and their parents what they were talking about but all three decided they would keep it a surprise. Disgruntled, Jessica instead turned to see where Nick had gotten off to. Upon finding him, her eyes widened in fear, frightened what Judy might do if she saw the spectacle before her. Unfortunately at that moment Judy had looked towards Jessica to tease her more about the restaurant and the secret they were keeping when she saw the panic on her face. Whipping around, concerned that there might be danger coming near everyone, she was instead faced with a sight that made her blood boil.

_That bitch is grabbing MY fox!_

_He's just comforting her. She looks really upset._

_Don't care. My fox!_

_Let's try some breathi-_

_MINE!_

_Uh-oh._

A feeling of irrational anger and jealously swarmed over the small rabbit, her paws clenching and unclenching rapidly as a low growl escaped her throat. Stu, seeing her face redden, her teeth gritting tight, stepped back several paces, not wanting to get in the way of his daughter. Jessica also went back a little ways, afraid of focusing her wrath on her instead of the tigress. Bonnie however stepped up and put herself in between Judy and the pair standing a little ways away. The gray rabbit gnashed her teeth together, her growling now escalating in volume. "Get out of my way, mom."

"No, dear. I'm not going to let you go attack that poor tigress."

"She's hanging all over _my fox!"_ Judy was having difficulty looking away from them, her vision growing redder the longer they stood there. _  
_

"But is this how you think Nick would want you to react?" Pausing, the young doe let those words sink in, her ears flopping down along her back in shame. No, this isn't how he would want her to react. He was simply consoling a friend, a friend that had no interest in him romantically and so wasn't a threat to her. But her instincts would not be denied, her desire to protect and keep what was hers was very strong. Desperate to keep her emotions in check, Judy took off running towards the parking lot, much to her family's surprise. Calling after her, they received no response, not even a sign that she had heard them.

Nick, his ears flicking towards the sound of the Hopps members shouting, he watched as his mate headed across the field, her hindpaws kicking up loose clods of grass and dirt into the air. "Carrots!" His cry eliciting not even a turn of her head, he made to run after her when a large paw settled on his shoulder. Glancing up, he saw Lylah shaking her head at him.

"Let me handle this. You take care of the rest of the clan." Seeing him nod and move towards the three other rabbits, Lylah headed in the direction Judy had disappeared to. She took her time, still having difficulty accepting Zoe's rejection. She had been infatuated with her for months, afraid to approach her solely for the fact that cadets were not allowed to fraternize with each other. So she had waited, several long months of waiting, until the day they would get their badges. Then she would be free to tell her, hoping she might return her affections. She had not counted on misreading the cheetah, the smaller feline not only uninterested in her, but uninterested in females altogether. It wasn't the first time she had been off, but after spending months next to her, reading all of the subtle signs, the seemingly innocent touches, the small excuses to lay her paw on her, even the fact that while silent towards most everyone Zoe had been more open with her and only her, she thought that there must have been a bond between them. In the end though, those 'innocent' touches really were just that. Innocent. It felt as if she was drowning inside of herself and nothing anyone did would help her. Even the comforting from probably her best friend at the Academy didn't help. And now, because of that comfort, she had caused a rift in another relationship. She knew this one would not be going anywhere, the two were made for each other, but it still hurt to know she was causing strife.

Eventually reaching the parking lot, Lylah looked around but did not see the rabbit anywhere. Now concerned, she headed around the buildings trying to find any clues as to where she might have gone. She didn't need to search long as her ears picked up the faint sound of someone sobbing coming from her right. Cautiously, remembering the last time the two of them had met, the tigress moved around the set of stone steps that led into the main lobby. Sitting with her back against the wall and her head in her paws was the small gray doe. Her body shook with the force of her sobbing, her tears running through her paws to stain her once immaculate dress uniform. Stepping carefully over the bunny, Lylah placed her back against the wall and slid down to the ground, feeling her own dress uniform scrunch up in the back. Carefully putting out her paw, hesitating for a few moments as it hung over the rabbit's head, she brought it down very lightly, stroking her droopy ears.

Almost immediately, the tears stopped, the ragged breathing the only sound that could be heard in their little corner. The silence stretched on for several minutes, neither wanting to break it, Lylah continuing to stroke the bunny's ears. Taking in a deep breath, Lylah started to apologize but Judy beat hear to the punch.

"I'm sorry, Lylah." A little confused, Lylah just stared at the doe.

"For what? You don't have anything to be sorry for."

Judy sighed, her guilt weighing heavily on her about what she had almost done. "I was...angry when you were hanging off of Nick."

"I can understand that. He is your mate after all." She tilted her head a long ways down, trying to look her in the eyes. "You know I'm not trying to steal him from you."

"I know. But that's not the problem." Pausing, she waged a war within herself on whether or not to tell her about her condition. She had learned from Bogo that she would be working at Precinct One due to her Academy record, so she would find out eventually. She supposed it would be better for it to come from her. "I have a...condition." Lylah's brow raised at the vague statement. "About 7 months ago I was hit with Nighthowler serum. Because I'm a bunny, and due to an insane amount of unlikely circumstances all coming together, I experienced what is called a 'Scent Bond.' Basically I need to be around the scent of whoever I bonded to or my body begins to shut down."

"Nick." Judy looked up, surprised she had understood so quickly. Smiling softly down at her, Lylah wrapped her arm around the small bunny, her paw nearly half her size. "He told me, Judy. Hey now don't get mad," she added quickly, the rabbit starting to growl at the thought of Nick telling someone _again_ without her knowledge. "I may have, sort of, _forced_ him to tell me. But it wasn't a malicious thing. I was concerned for him. He came back smelling _way_ more like rabbit than normal, and while he had a blissful sort of look on his face, he also was terrified whenever classes would start. It didn't affect his performance at all so I knew it was whatever had happened during those two days he disappeared. Eventually I broke him down enough for him to confide in me. I haven't told anyone and I don't intend to." Giving the red-eyed bunny a gentle nudge, she lowered her voice dramatically. "Plus it helped secure Valedictorian for him."

Judy giggled, her worries about the tigress fading. Nick had chosen very well of the two mammals he had confided in, neither willing nor wanting to divulge her secret. "Did he explain any further than the Bond or what happens?" Now it was Lylah's turn to look uncomfortable.

"He mentioned something about 'instinctual reactions' and how they were heightened. Like a lot. But I'm not sure what that means."

Smiling sweetly up at the confused mammal, Judy spoke in a relatively calm voice. "It means that if I hadn't been learning control for the past six months, gaining the ability to clamp down on these instincts, the fact that you smell of my fox and that I'm sure he has your smell on him, that I would have broken both of your arms by now." A flash of memory about their bout in the ring had Lylah yanking her arm from the deceptively small bunny. "Don't worry, Lylah. I'm not going to attack you. I'm mostly under control now. I should point out that there are three major aspects of what these instincts affect. The first is protection. Don't harm Nick or my family and I promise I won't go after you. The second is territorial. This is the one where if I feel someone is trying to take him from me, say a tigress who's hanging off of him, I will have a hard time not attacking, however the fact that I know you're his friend and not even remotely interested in him helps tremendously. And the third, well, you don't need to worry about that one. Only _Nick_ needs to worry about that one."

"Why? What would only concern Ni-" at the embarrassed look on Judy's face, she had a flash of understanding. One of the primary instincts shared by all mammals that could make even a rabbit blush could only be one thing. "Oh. OH. Umm, well...that bad, huh?"

"A day without is equivalent to a month. Only the fact that I wanted Nick to make it through the Academy did I restrain myself, but ever since we became mates the pull is even stronger. Now that he's graduated, he's going to be in for a _Wilde_ time." Lylah groaned as Judy waggled her brows.

"That was just awful, Flopsy." Arching her brow dangerously high, Judy stared at the large feline. Grimacing a little, Lylah tried to smooth things over. "Sorry. With how you and Nick do nicknames I thought I'd just try and be part of the group. Too much?"

"No, it's just something a...you know what, never mind. I'll allow it only if I can call you-...ummm...Ugh, I _hate_ coming up with nicknames!"

* * *

Feeling the strong breeze coming through the open window, the red canid breathed in the refreshingly cool air. Before he and his mate had headed out, Nick had hurriedly changed out the constricting dress uniform and into something more comfortable. With November closing in, his winter coat was starting to come in making him feel ridiculously overheated. Currently wearing his signature khaki pants and one of his ZPA t-shirts, he felt almost naked without sporting his old green shirt. More and more Judy had been changing his wardrobe on him, yet he didn't really mind it too much. The shirts, while comfortable, were more to fit in with his old lifestyle, using the odd color and pattern to distract marks from both realizing they were being hustled and to also not recognize him in case he ever messed up.

"Nick?" The small voice jostled him from his thoughts, the matter not even really worth contemplating anymore. Turning to face the bunny lass snuggled up against him, he stroked her ear as he responded.

"What is it, Carrots?" Judy shivered, the touch to her ear starting her up just like he knew it would, but where they were headed there would be no place to satisfy her urges. She hated him for it yet couldn't seem to get enough of his teasing. It was a difficult combination to be sure.

"What happened to the car?" Nick followed her gaze to the front end of the driver's side. She had spotted the overly large dent in the metal but was hesitant to point it out in case it had been a recent development and he hadn't seen it yet. She knew how much he loved his car and didn't want it to ruin his big day.

"Oh that. I got that about a month ago." Curious, Judy cocked her head, a little confused he hadn't mentioned it at all.

"When were you out driving? You aren't supposed to leave the campus except for-...Oh..." They both sat in silence for a moment, both of them not liking to think about that day. The next morning had been filled with blissful awakenings but the lead-in to that had been traumatic for everyone involved. Francine had difficulty even looking her in the eye most days. "I caused that?" she asked, her voice breaking a little.

Glancing down in alarm, Nick say the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Immediately he pulled over, ignoring the honks of those around him. Clutching her to his chest, he kissed her between the ears and stroked her fur. "No no, Carrots. You didn't cause anything. I would rather see this thing totaled and lit on fire than have you ever go through that again. I was driving like a fox possessed. All I can say is thank god for Flash and his driving lessons." Seeing the confused look in her eyes, Nick grinned smugly at her. "Don't knock it, Carrots. That sloth is one mean driver." Relishing in the contact of his mate snuggling up against his side, he reluctantly removed his arm from around her. "Now, we really should be heading to the restaurant. Your parents pulled over behind us and I think they're confused."

Judy looked back and saw her father glancing around nervously, his paws locked in a death grip on the steering wheel of her car. Her mother seemed to be attempting to keep him relaxed while her sister was openly ogling every mammal that walked by. Giggling, the bunny nodded at her fox who signaled before pulling back out into traffic. The rest of the trip was a smooth one, the doe pressed up against his side, the contact helping to keep her calm. As much as she loved smelling his mark on her, the physical contact always made her feel better. Whether she dozed off or simply stopped paying attention to everything but the feel of her mate, they arrived at the restaurant sooner than she had expected. Clambering out of the vehicle, Judy walked around to the other side, her paw already reaching for Nick's. Her parents had gotten lucky, grabbing a spot near the front that was vacated just after Nick had parked. The two couples, followed by Jessica, made their way up the steps to the entrance. As it was well after lunchtime, the restaurant was not overly crowded and the host gathered some menus together, preparing to lead them to a seat.

"Nicky! It's good to see you. I thought you had disappeared on me again." The aging badger grabbed Nick in a large hug who returned it just as affectionately.

'Not a chance, Milos. I've just been busy." Looking at the shirt stretch across the Vulpine's chest, Milos clapped a paw to his chest.

"Are you a cop now, Nicky?" An affirmative nod from the red fox had him literally jumping for joy, tears forming in his eyes. "I knew it, Nicky. Me, Rhea, your mother; we all knew you were meant for something better and here you are. Do you-do you have the badge?" Grinning, Nick reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, flipping it open to show the gleaming shield inside. "That's wonderful. It really is, Nicky. I only wish your mother was here to see it."

His eyes growing a bit sad, Nick simply nodded his head. "I wish so, too." Clearing his throat, he blinked a few more times than necessary trying to clear the wetness forming in his eyes. "Now, we're in the mood for some of your wonderful food so we'll just take one of the boot-"

"You'll do no such thing." The group was startled by the aggressive tone from Milos. He gestured his paw towards the back. "Your table is open and I demand you sit up there. This is a day to celebrate, not to hide in a booth." The tod could not have let out a wider grin if he tried.

"Carrots, why don't you bring them up to the table. I'll be there in a moment." Judy hesitated for a moment but seeing the sincere smile on her fox's face she smiled back. Leading the group towards the back, Nick watched them disappear before turning back to the badger. "I gotta ask, Milos. How is the special table always open for us? We show up at such random times."

"Oh that's simple, Nicky." Chuckling heartily, he swiped a paw over his eye, his mirth causing him to tear up a bit. "I never let anyone sit there."

Nick was more than a little shocked at the admission. "What? Why? You could easily make a lot of money with that table. People would pay to sit there easy."

"Maybe, but that table is yours. You built it for your mother, and now you take your mate, if my nose is accurate, up there to make memories as well." Placing his paw on his shoulder, Milos turned to the Vulpine. "Nicky, that table is the 'special' table for a reason. It's because you made it special. The only one I have ever let sit there besides you and whoever you bring, is Helena. And that's only to do her homework and drink her milkshakes." He shook his head, a look of confusion on his face. "That cub is addicted to milkshakes. Can't figure out how to make her stop. Anyway Nicky, go. Go join your family. I'll have some menus brought up shortly."

Heading up the stairs, Nick couldn't help but feel as if his day had just gotten better, something he was sure wasn't possible. A shout from behind made him pause for just a second before smiling and moving on. "Hey Rhea! Guess what? Nicky's a cop now!...No, I'm not bringing him back there...He's up on the roof, go see it for yourself...Well how should I know?!"

* * *

Their 'quick lunch' had turned into a two hour affair, the Hopps family members asking so many questions about his time at the Academy, probably due to the fact that Judy had not been very forthcoming with her experience, her concerns being that if she did tell them, they might feel obligated to stop her from heading to Zootopia. Bonnie and Stu had trouble keeping their mouths closed at the descriptions of all the obstacle courses they were made to run, Bonnie gasping audibly when he ran them through a standard afternoon of 'Enormous Criminal' training. It was safe to assume the idea of their daughter facing elephants and rhinos flashed through their heads once or twice, most likely imagining her being stepped on or worse. It unfortunately had not made things better when Nick 'accidentally' let slip that Judy still held the record for the quickest knockout against a rhino. Jessica on the other paw was quite thrilled to hear about Nick's experiences, the doe finding the tales quite fascinating. She gained a new respect for her sister after hearing what the Academy was like and that she had also graduated as Valedictorian despite the overwhelming odds stacked against her. She also gained a new healthy level of fear of her as well, fully understanding what would happen to her if she pushed the 'tease Judy through Nick' game too far.

The sky had grown dark when they finally decided to call an end to their late lunch/early supper. Judy offered to let her parents borrow her car for the remainder of their trip, an offer they graciously accepted, not being all that familiar with how cabs worked in the city. Nick and Judy decided to simply go for a little cruise and, after paying the bill and giving Milos and Rhea a wave goodbye, crawled into his car, taking a few moments to simply sit in their seclusion, wrapped up in each others arms. Nick put his muzzle between her ears, resting it on the top of her head. "This was nice. I'm glad you invited them up."

"It really was. I'm just glad Jessica was on her best behavior at the restaurant. I don't think Milos would have appreciated a bunny being put through the koi pond." Nick let out a snort, glancing down at her, unsure if she was joking. A sly grin and hard glint in her eyes really didn't tell him either way so he settled for the safer option of changing the topic.

"So, uh, home?" He coughed, trying not to seem too obvious.

Judy shook her head. "Night's not over yet. We're going out." Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she tapped out a quick message while Nick started the car, leaving the parking lot once the lane was clear.

Glancing over to see the bunny still absorbed in her phone, Nick couldn't help but admire her beauty. Judy always maintained that she was not an overly attractive rabbit, her fur being very plain and her physique being overly developed, the tough form of a cop. To him she was the most beautiful mammal to have ever graced the world and nothing she could ever say would sway him from that fact. Unfortunately another part of his body was enjoying the view of hers besides his eyes. Yanking his gaze away and back to the road, he silently willed himself to relax. Resuming their conversation he asked the obvious question. "So where are we going?"

"To a bar."

"A bar?" Judy nodded, her tapping the phone unceasing, her eyes glued to the brightly lit screen. "We're going to a bar." Nick was extremely confused. He had never seen Judy drink, nor had they ever gone to a bar before. Although they had been apart for nearly six months. Some minor times spent during the morning, noon, and evening was the most they had ever had so he didn't fault her for wanting to go out and meet some friends. Perhaps even hang out with some of the other officers. It just didn't seem to fit the bunny he had come to know. "Why are we going to a bar?"

Rolling her eyes, Judy continued to type. "Because I promised them we'd show."

That just raised more questions for the confused tod. "Who is 'them'? What are we even doing out here?" Turning towards her during a break in the traffic, he leaned in a little closer to her. "I'd rather go home and spend long hours letting my paws massage that firm body of yours," he finished, letting his brows waggle at her. Reaching up with a smile, Judy pushed his muzzle back to face the road.

(*)

"Down, boy. There's plenty of time for that later." Reaching her paw down between his legs, she rubbed along the bulge she could see forming causing him to jerk the wheel slightly, a grunt escaping his lips. "Although if you would prefer, we could always pull over here and I could take care of that for you. Of course we'd be a little late but I'm sure they wouldn't mi-" Judy hadn't even finished her sentence before Nick had turned the wheel, pulling over to the side of the road. With a grin, she glanced into his hungry eyes which were aglow from the oncoming headlights of the other cars. Stretching up towards him, she placed one paw behind his neck, dragging him down to meet her lips with his own, their tongues already flitting around each other. He felt the pressure on his sheath diminish as his pants were deftly undone by her unoccupied paw, his zipper being slowly lowered.

He gasped sharply at the feel of a silky paw wrapping around him, his hard shaft emerging from it's sheath, already aching for release. His bunny pulled back, a mischievous glint in her eye that he had learned either meant trouble was headed for him or intense pleasure, sometimes the two combined. Sliding her head down his chest, always keeping eye contact with him, she nuzzled into his stomach, her cheek brushing along his erect member, the sensations causing the fox to throw his head back with a moan. Giggling at his reaction, the young doe turned to face the object of her desire, leaning in to rub her nose against it, the smell of his musk intoxicating her. She wanted so much to simply take her time, to explore his foxhood and every part in her reach, to show him how much she loved her fox. However, this was not the time for slow and pleasant. This was a time to be what they were.

"Take me, Nick."

The husky voice made him look down at the bunny, her violet eyes looking into his with sincerity. "What?"

She began stroking him, her paw sliding up and down the hard flesh of his member, feeling it pulse with his heartbeat. "Take me. Use me. Do anything you want," she whispered huskily, now holding him with both paws, increasing her speed. Gripping his shaft almost painfully tight, she let out a growl. "Be a pred. Be an animal." She gazed at him with half-lidded eyes, a seductive smile playing at her lips. "Go Wilde." At the last, he felt a spark begin inside him which quickly became a roaring flame. His paw snapping out, Nick grabbed her ears tight, his leer down at her causing a thrill throughout her body. The feel of her mate letting loose, taking control of the situation, caused a powerful surge of arousal within her. She could feel her panties becoming damp, the urge to reach her paw down and stroke her sex overwhelming, her concentration nearly failing on her original plan. Thankfully, her mate had not forgotten. A sharp pain at the base of her ears made the doe open her mouth to cry out only to find her fox shoving his shaft deep into her, the bulge forcing her throat to accept him. The suddenness sent her body into reflexive spasms, gagging hard at the intrusion of the overly large foxhood being rammed into her.

Feeling a brief respite as he withdrew, she gasped for air, but it was short lived as she once again was forced down onto him, the throbbing shaft reaching deep before bottoming out, her throat unable to take more of him. This did not deter the lust-filled fox, yanking his bunny's ears to pull her up and down, using her mouth for his own pleasure. Feeling her teeth scrape against his flesh at one point, he shuddered at the unfamiliar sensation, the pain light but brief, only increasing his desire. Though he was lost to his own passions he never let her bleed, his claws only lightly scratching beneath her fur while grasping her head tightly in his paws.

Judy was openly rubbing herself at this point, her lust unleashed. The feeling of being controlled, of being used in this manner, was revealing new emotions within her, ones that both excited and terrified her. Slipping her paw beneath her panties, the doe quickly shoved two digits deep inside her sex, thrusting them quickly in and out, trying to time them to her mate's thrusts into her mouth. With her other, she grasped the parts of his sheath she could not fit inside of her and began stroking him faster and faster, urging him to continue using her body. In and out, their motions becoming perfectly aligned, Judy couldn't take it anymore, her pleasure increasing exponentially as she imagined it was him thrusting into her rather than her own paw. Pulling out, Nick let her gasp, drawing in more air before pushing her down once more, filling her mouth. On the next stroke, her mouth being freed on his withdraw, she quickly gasped his name. "Nick." He stopped for a moment, holding her in his claws. She was under no delusions, the beast within him very much still in control, but she wanted more, no _needed_ more. She craved this. This was one of her fantasies come to life. "Don't hold back, sweetie. I can take it." The savage grin that flitted across his mouth was only there for a second, his teeth once again baring his sharp fangs while yanking her down by her ears. Letting go of one of her ears, he reached over and grabbed her rear, his claws sinking through the fabric nearly piercing her skin. The surprised yelp was lost beneath the moans and growls from both the lustful bunny and the ravenous fox.

Letting herself build to what she knew would be a tremendous orgasm, she focused on the feel of her throat being abused by her loving mate. Judy could feel his shaft running along her tongue deep inside of her with each thrust. Tightening her lips around him as much as she could, the dazed bunny did her best to lick him with her tongue with every stroke he made. So absorbed in how she was making him feel, she was shocked and dismayed to find her paw being ripped away from her folds. Instead, two long digits tipped with claws firmly pushed themselves inside of her, curling once they went deep enough, locking them into place. A third settled itself on the little nub at the top of her sex and began stimulating it, pressing in hard with every clench of the two deep inside of her, manipulating her in ways she knew that only he could. Only her fox. Nearing her release, she started humping against his paw, trying to increase the pleasure in any way. She was rewarded when he slipped a third digit inside, her sex stretching gloriously around him. His paw fully inside her, Nick began shoving his digits into her with enough strength that her knees would lift off the seat beside him. Coming back down would only drive his paw deeper into her, a mixture of moans and shrieks leaving the bunny's trapped mouth. Moaning around her fox's shaft, Judy felt him pick up his pace, her head now being pushed up and down onto his member rapidly. Nick was delirious. His paw was being strangled by her heated folds, the act of stimulating her heightening his own lust. But it was the sight of his flesh disappearing into her mouth over and over as he forced her head down onto him that was driving him mad. He had never lost control like this before, driven only by his own desires, but it felt so right. So primal.

The feeling of his claws flexing at the same time he thrust himself deep was what sent Judy over the edge, the uncontrollable reaction making her clench down on his paw, a strangled shriek coming from her mouth as she shuddered hard. He waited several seconds for her to calm before pulling his paw away. Using it to grip her head with both paws, he started yanking her ears faster and faster, thrusting his hips up to meet her on every downward stroke. Consumed by his lust, the sensations overwhelming him, Nick grabbed an ear in each paw and pulled her towards him hard, the tip of his shaft being forced even deeper into her throat. The young doe reflexively gagged, the action relaxing the muscles around him and with an instinctual urge, he held her head in place and shoved himself further in. Feeling her lips touching the base of his sheath, Judy felt immense satisfaction, having been able to fully take in her lover, but a glance up revealed that this was not the end. Almost feral eyes stared back at her, his fangs bared behind a guttural snarl. She felt the paws on her ears tighten before he withdrew nearly all the way. Holding her in place and gazing into her eyes, he let out a growl, one laced with lust and arousal. Judy returned the growl, the sound rumbling against his tip, sending him into a frenzy. Raising his hips once more, Nick thrust hard, his member easily pressing his hard flesh all the way down her throat, once more her mouth landing on his sheath. All rational thought having left him, Nick was fucking her throat with abandon, his shaft sliding against her lips and tongue, the sensations causing him to speed up rapidly. Judy's head was now bouncing off his lap with each forceful thrust, only his paws keeping her from coming off him altogether.

Like a tod possessed, he made her consume his foxhood, his flesh ramming down her throat over and over. The feelings building within him, Nick no longer seemed aware of where he was, only that he knew he needed to continue ravishing her throat, stroking himself in and out, ignoring the gasps for air from his mate each time he withdrew far enough. His knot swelling, Nick thrust himself deep, once again holding her head in place, her lips sealed around him. Her mouth fully enveloping his sheath, Judy strained to open her lips, a feat made difficult by the overly large rod of heated flesh filling every inch of her. Snaking her tongue out, she licked his knot as best she could, rewarded for her efforts by the grunt from above and the spasm that went through the Vulpines body, his throbbing foxhood suddenly twitching before releasing his seed deep within her throat. It felt as if his release would never end, his seed spilling into her for what felt like ages. So much poured into her that it could not be contained, the remainder of the seed not in her belly now flowing over his shaft into his lap. Feeling him not withdrawing, Judy looked up to see him staring into her eyes, the predatory gleam of hunger deep within. She knew right then that he could keep her like this, trapped with his foxhood completely in her mouth for as long as he wanted. What should have been a feeling pf panic surging through her was instead unbridled lust. Without even stimulating herself, she quickly came again, her body shuddering along his.

Grabbing an ear in each paw, Nick slowly dragged her off of him as he withdrew. Just as his tip was about to be clear, Judy felt him pause before wrapping his paws around her head. He gently pressed her back down, letting him rest on her tongue. He lovingly caressed her ears as he released her, his bunny now taking control of herself, her paws on his thighs allowing her to control her motions. She began licking all around the tip while her lips slid up and down the shaft tenderly. Looking up at her mate she met his gaze before winking. Sliding her mouth down his shaft she felt him fill her throat once more, the previous strength to force her body open no longer needed. Reaching the base, she purred in satisfaction, The vibrations from her throat proved to be too much for him. He released another wave of his seed into her, draining him of any strength or aggression he could possibly have left after their experience. Taking her time, Judy locked their gaze together, her mouth moving slowly, feeling his hard flesh withdraw from her. She made sure to drag her tongue along him until the very last moment. Only after planting a kiss to his tip did she begin to breathe again, gasping for air as her body had been deprived for too long. Sliding her cheek along him until she met his lap, she began to lick his fur clean, the taste of him driving her to further ecstasy.

More than anything did she want to climb on top of him and ride him to another mind-shattering orgasm but they still had somewhere to be. Their bodies and minds returning to normal, Judy climbed up onto his chest, nuzzling his neck while curling into a ball of fluffy gray fur, purring contently. "That was amazing." Reaching over her head, Judy began massaging her ears. "I think you hurt these a bit."

Cringing at his behavior, Nick hung his head. "I-"

"Ack!" Slapping a paw to his muzzle, she clamped it shut. "Don't. Apologize."

(*)

* * *

"So what is this place again?" The fox and rabbit had parked a couple blocks away, the only parking spots near the bar having been taken. It was to be expected since they were a bit late due to a prior engagement. They had spent several minutes at the car trying to get rid of all traces of their earlier escapade, Nick having to use nearly an entire can of Musk Mask. Judy had been in a much worse state, the top half smelling deeply of fox while her lower regions were still saturated with her own powerful scent. They hoped it was enough but it was more for the benefit of the others in the bar, neither of them really caring what others thought of their relationship and their actions within it, but that didn't mean they needed to force everyone to smell it.

"I told you. It's a bar for mammals like us." Reaching out, Judy grasped his paw, interlacing their digits together while she skipped ahead. Nick was having difficulty watching where he was going, instead watching Judy's tail shake back and forth with each bound.

"Interspecies couples who are dynamite in the sack?" The rabbit froze mid-hop, the effect rather comical as she turned her head back to face the fox, his eyebrows waggling at her. Clapping a paw to her mouth, Judy tried to stifle her giggling, failing spectacularly. Doubling over, she nearly fell to her knees, the bubbling laughter being too much for her.

Attempting to dry her eyes, the snickering bunny tried to explain further. "N-no, you dumb fox! It's a place for officers."

Eyes wide, Nick yanked his paw away, taking a few steps in the other direction. "You brought me to a cop bar? Carrots what are you thinking?! I'm a-"

"Cop."

The fox blinked. "What?"

Judy sighed as she rolled her eyes. Leaping up and grabbing his collar, she hauled him down to her eye level. "You. Are. A. Cop."

"...Oh," he muttered. "That's right. Huh." Giving him a quick peck, she grasped her fox's paw again and dragged him towards the door. Craning his neck up, the bright neon sign saying simply '10-7' attracted his attention. "10-7?" He shot his mate a questioning look to which she merely rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, Nick. I got told by the instructors at the Academy that you scored in the highest, if not _the_ highest, percentile in your exams. Did you forget police codes already?" Nick simply shrugged. Judy elbowed him in the side. "You're lucky I love you, fox. 10-7 is code for 'out of service.' We're here off duty." Stopping shy of the threshold, Nick gazed warily at the large rhino tipped back on a wooden bar stool, scowling at the red fox. "Pull out your badge," she whispered hurriedly. While Nick fumbled to produce his wallet, Judy greeted the bouncer she had come to know over the past few months. "Hey Petey!" His scowl disappearing almost instantaneously, the mammal looked down fondly at the rabbit officer.

"Welcome back, Judy. Haven't seen you in a few weeks. Everything been okay?"

"Oh everything has been great. I've just been trying to take care of the rookie over here," gesturing over to her mate, giggling quietly seeing how nervous he was yet confused by how playful their banter was.

Petey snorted. "Rookie, eh? Well then. Badge!" Nick flinched at the sudden raise in volume coming from the large mammal. Fumbling with his wallet, he flipped it open, producing his brand new shield. Eyeing it carefully, the tough looking bouncer snorted again before handing back Nick's badge. "I don't know, Judy. Looks like a bit of a pushover to me."

The rabbit looked fondly up at the fox, noticing the way he suddenly squared his shoulders, his muscles tightening as if to prove he was capable as any other officer to walk through that door. "He'll surprise you, Petey. Has surprised me many, many times." Settling himself back, the rhino gave the tiny bunny a fist bump before offering one to Nick. The fox looked at it for a second before returning the bump, a small smile now forming on his muzzle.

Walking through the door, Nick wasn't sure what to expect but after hearing it was a cop bar he wasn't disappointed. However what Judy should have said was it was a first responders bar. Littering the walls were flags and banners celebrating the three main crews of first responders in Zootopia. Fire Department banners mixed with white flags covered in red crosses and of course, a large navy blue flag with a ZPD shield gracing the center. Photos showing the history of their fair city hung on the wall with pride, everything from black and white photos of ZPD mammals in front of the precinct to vibrant colored ones involving fire and rescue battling a deadly blaze Nick recognized from a few years back. Even after spending the last six months of his life training to be an officer, being in this place felt strange. Almost as if he felt he wasn't worthy enough to be there. And perhaps that was it. He was an ex-conmammal who had been trying to turn his life around. He had finally graduated the Academy. He had his very own shield now. And yet he had never actually served one day on the force. He felt as if he was _playing_ cop, not _being_ a cop. The thought made him a little sad.

Judy, noticing her future partner was no longer next to her, she hopped back to where he was standing, looking at all of the memorabilia. Caught up in it as well, it took her several seconds to notice his slumped shoulders, the slight sag in his posture indicating something had upset him. Taking his paw in hers, the doe moved in front of him, pulling gently at his arm to gain his attention. When his gaze met hers, he smiled, but his eyes weren't in it. Concerned, Judy saw his eyes flicker with uncertainty. And something else that she had only begun to notice in the months they had been together. Self-doubt. Pulling him gently down onto his knees, she hugged him tightly, her paw stroking his head.

"What if I'm not a god cop, Carrots?"

Letting go of him, Judy leaned back to look him in his brilliant green eyes. "Nicholas Wilde. If there's one thing I know in this world beyond that I love you very much is that you will be a wonderful cop. You are caring, compassionate, and want to help all mammals." Kissing him deeply, she eventually had to let him go. "Now, we're here to enjoy ourselves and that is what we're gonna do. Now, they're all over there," she gestured vaguely towards the back left corner.

"Who is 'they,' Carrots?" As he said it he realized he no longer needed an answer, for there in front of him was a large group of mammals, a mixture of his fellow ZPA graduates, including Lylah, and several officers from the precinct. Now the incessant texting Judy had been absorbed in made sense. She was busy setting up this little get together as a celebration party. Walking past a group of fire fighters who were all captivated by the story one of the other mammals was telling, they made their way through across the cluttered floor, very few tables actually open.

"Hey Judy!" A cry from the timber wolf at the table had all the mammals turning their heads. "You're late!"

"Yeah Freddie. We uh, had a little bit of car trouble," she lied, praying her ears wouldn't give her away by blushing like they always did. Wolford gave the air a sniff as they moved closer, a knowing grin creeping across his face.

"Oh those darn cars," he winked at the bunny who was now uncontrollably blushing. Looking over the tod who was understandably wary of the exchange between the two of them, Wolford put put his paw. "Fred Wolford." The name now registering to Nick as the officer who had been helping Judy get to and from the Academy for the first week of his classes, his posture visibly loosened and he grasped the offered paw gladly.

"Nick Wilde."

"Well Nick, welcome to the 10-7. Let me introduce you to the other mammals from Precinct One. You got Dwayne McHorn over there," the large rhino nodded his head, "that's Andrew Delgato," a brief paw wave came from the lion now draining his beer, "Liz Fangmeyer" the tigress sitting next to Delgato reached out and shook Nick's paw with a smile, "I believe you already know Francine," Nick gave a small smile towards the elephant who had helped save his mate's life, the returned smile from her meaning a great deal to him, "and that's Tammy Thompson at the end. Say hi, Tammy." The slim cheetah flipped him off while grinning at Nick. "Well that's everybody here. We already got acquainted with your classmates while you were having...car trouble," the wolf's smirk could have been seen from around the world.

Taking a seat, the couple joined in with the rest of the group, the conversations ranging from Academy experiences, comparing the older generation with the new, to office gossip including the precincts the other cadets were headed to, only he and Lylah being sent to Precinct One. Nick still felt a little out of sorts and was starting to think he really needed a drink to mellow him out when a loud squeak echoed across the room.

Nick looked around wildly for the sound, but as his gaze landed on his bunny he became confused, the small rabbit stiffening up as if getting ready for an attack. And an attack did come shortly after in the form of a wild small mass of brown fur colliding into her. A bunch of excited squeaks emanated from the pile of fluff in front of him. Apparently this was a common occurrence as the rest of the officers familiar with the bar simply grinned and went back to their drinks. Becoming a little concerned as his bunny lass was being smothered, he heard a muffled voice. "Hey Trisha."

The new ball of fur to the scene finally unwrapped herself from around Judy, revealing a brown doe who was practically shaking with excitement. "Oh I am so happy your are back, Judy! It's been ages! I thought you would never walk through those doors again."

"It's been three weeks, Trisha."

"Yeah but that's like six months in bunny time." Her foot tapping ridiculously fast, Nick decided this crazy bunny was even more energetic than his, and frankly that frightened him a little. "So what's been going on? Last time you were in here you couldn't stop going on and on about your new mate and how he was so handsome and charming-" Judy was waving at her friend, making several gestures to try and cut her off while Nick looked on, his smug expression becoming more so with each word the new bunny spoke, "and how he did those things with his paws and how talented he was with his tongue," at this point most of the table had become silent, their previous listening in had been for amusement but now was quickly turning awkward as Trisha continued. "And when you had a few too many carro-tinis you were talking about your first time together and how bi-"

"Okay, Trisha! I think that's enough, don't you?" The gray bunny was looking mortified, having all of those details spouted out in front of her coworkers like that.

"Oh sorry honey bunny. I just got carried away. So how is the mysterious boy-toy?"

"Well," Judy started, a grin coming back over her face even after the embarrassment from moments before. "Why not just turn around ask him yourself?" Judy's grin became even wider as Nick lowered his head directly behind Trisha's and parted his muzzle in a very toothy smile. The brown doe, implicitly trusting her favorite officer, turned her head around quickly. The sharp teeth were level with her eyes and he watched with pleasure as they dilated in fear, or so he thought until she suddenly smiled and kissed him. His eyes went wide at the action, completely dumbfounded.

He looked up at Judy, worried about her reaction. His bunny had frozen, the last departing phase of her smile now a tight-lipped stare. He could see her stubby claws dug into the table, her paw tightening so much that small snapping sounds could be heard coming from the wood. Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw Lylah scoot back as far as she could before running into another table, the tigress's face awash with fear that one could only understand if they had gone through the same thing. Many of the ZPD officers knew about Judy's condition, but not the extended aspects and so were having difficulty processing the extreme reaction they were seeing. Nick stood quickly, stepping around the brown rabbit in front of him to clasp his own tightly to him. "Breathe, Carrots. Just breathe." Judy pressed her face into his chest, struggling to maintain her composure. Being exposed to these feelings twice in one day was causing a significant amount of stress on the poor doe.

"Nick. I can't. It's too strong." She shuddered, her paws flexing uncontrollably. "Move us. Anywhere. There, that corner. Now." Nick silently apologized to the table as he clutched her to his chest and moved off. Trisha, who had been looking confused was quickly becoming upset, her eyes starting to well up at the thought of hurting her friend.

"Did I do something wrong?" A large striped paw landed on her shoulder, Lylah gently rubbed it to try and calm her.

"It's okay, Trisha. Judy has some...issues she's working through." Seeing her ears flop down along her back, Lylah gave them a few small strokes hoping it would help her. "Let her calm down and then you can go over to see her. Just...don't kiss or hang off of Nick, alright?" Nodding, she straightened herself up before remembering what she had originally come over there to do. Shaking herself a bit, Trisha pulled out a pen and a pad and addressed the still speechless table.

"What can I get for everyone?"

* * *

Struggling with herself, Judy finally decided on telling her friend what had happened to her and why she was acting the way she was. She didn't understand why, but telling Trisha just felt... _right_. She felt as if she could trust her with anything in the world and it both thrilled her and concerned her. It's not that didn't like the doe. In fact she did, but they hadn't known each for very long and it seemed odd to be telling her these intimate details of herself. She supposed it had been merely fear that had held her back before. Fear of being rejected? Of losing a friend? But after nearly attacking the poor doe, just like she had with done Lylah, she felt she deserved an explanation and so she gave her the whole tale, side effects and all. When she was done she had merely sat there, waiting for the doe to get up and leave. Instead she had embraced her, clutching her in a tight hug, tears forming in her eyes. Judy was startled but after a few moments she returned the hug, apologizing profusely for what she had done.

"Oh honey, you don't need to apologize to me. I should be the one apologizing to you." Trisha squeezed the gray bunny tight, trying to reassure her that she had done nothing wrong. After giving Judy some time to cool down, Trisha had eventually wandered over to see if she was alright. Judy had quickly become Trisha's favorite customer in the 10-7, even if she only came around a few times each month. She wasn't sure if it was because of her hero worship of the first bunny officer or if it was just because she was a really nice rabbit, always fun to talk to and very polite. It really didn't matter to her why, just that she was. After the little debacle from earlier, Trisha had been heartbroken, thinking she had done something very wrong indeed for the nicest bunny she knew to suddenly be so angry with her when she had never even seen Judy utter a curse in front of anyone. After hearing about her ordeal however, Trisha's admiration for her grew. After overcoming so many obstacles, being turned savage, and living day to day with horrific instinctual urges that were out of her control, Judy still found it within herself to place her life on the line for the citizens of their city. It hurt Trisha to know that she most likely would not be able to say the same about herself.

Nick for his part had sat behind Judy keeping quiet, his physical touch helping to comfort his mate and keep her steady. He was happy that the two does had come to peace with what happened but he still was very disturbed by her reaction to the situation. He knew how strong the urges were so he didn't fault her that, but he also made a plan in his head to try and get things under control. It would not do for his partner to beat up some poor purse snatching victim who might give him a hug.

Judy and Trisha sat back, both of them having reached an understanding about the whole thing and their feelings towards each other resolved. The brown bunny, whose duties had been ignored for a bit longer than was acceptable, grabbed her pad from the table and flashed Judy a quick smile. Turning, she began to skip away before suddenly stopping. Pulling out one of the bar's business cards, she quickly jotted a number down on the back. Pressing it into Judy's paw, Trisha leaned down. "That's my number. If you ever want to hang out, grab a bite, or just talk, you give me a call, okay cutie?" Stymied, Judy stared at the card, her mind having trouble processing what had just happened before she smiled. Reaching up, she pulled Trisha down in for another hug, a slight purr emanating from her. Leaning back, she snuggled into her mate's lap and sighed.

"Just as long as you promise not to try and steal my mate," she said with a dangerous grin.

Letting out a trilling chirp, Trisha shook her head. "Don't worry. I'm not into that."

The gray doe narrowed her eyes slightly at that. "You have something against foxes?"

"Oh no, cutie. I meant I'm not into breaking up relationships. I'm into pretty much everything, especially if they can get into me." She winked while waggling her brow suggestively.

"Trisha!" Shocked by the brazenness of her friend, Judy buried her head into Nick's chest, the Vulpine and the other doe both sharing a laugh at Judy's expense.

Skipping away, her heart a bit lighter and her mood a bit brighter, the young doe headed around the bar taking drink orders from the remaining ZPD officers and the, mostly passed out, firefighters. Turning in the orders to Mike, the cougar behind the bar, Trisha glanced over at the only occupant sitting on the stools. Recognizing the tigress from Judy's original table, she was a bit bothered to see the poor thing hunched over, staring unseeingly into her drink. Deciding an intervention was needed, she bounded over and, to the tigress's great surprise, hopped up directly into her lap. Her look of shock faded quickly, her grip tightening on her glass as she let out a low growl. "What is it with you bunnies? One tries to kill me, the other tries to give me a lap dance apparently." After everything that had happened that night, that statement made the doe laugh rather hard. Seeing the bunny rolling in fits, Lylah felt her own lip curl as she tried to hide a smile at her antics. Calming down, Trisha let out a few chortles before allowing herself to become her naturally bubbly self.

"So what's got you in a mood, kitten?" Ignoring the quip, Lylah drained her glass, signaling the bartender for another one. The two sat in silence for a bit. Lylah was hoping the brown bunny would get bored and leave but she sat there the entire time, her annoying smile plastered perfectly on her face. Eventually she relented, finding the rabbit's ability to hold that expression for so long slightly disturbing.

"Heartbreak." Her attention now caught, Trisha clasped her paws together eagerly.

"Who would ever break the heart of such a pretty feline like you?"

Lylah sighed, knowing the doe would not leave until she got the whole story. "I had this...thing, for one of my classmates at the ZPA." She looked down at her, "this is a very boring story, you sure you don't want to go back to the other tables?"

"Nuh-uh," the bunny grinning wide, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Alright, I warned you. So I had a thing for one of my classmates. A hot cheetah. God I wanted that mammal to be mine so bad. But because we weren't allowed to date during our instruction, I let it be until graduation. So this morning, after we got our badges, I took the plunge." Her eyes growing sad, Lylah stopped talking.

"What happened, kitten?"

"She told me she was straight." Trisha's eyes widened at the 'she' that came from the tigress's mouth before she continued. "I pined after her for months only for it to end before it even began. So _that_ little bunny," throwing her head back she drained another glass, again signaling for it to be refilled, "is why I'm sitting over here alone in a 'mood.'" Prodding the bunny with her paw, Trisha knew story-time was over. Hopping down, she considered the plan that had started going through her head the moment Lylah had said 'she.' Debating whether or not it was a good idea or not, Trisha boiled it down to one thing. She was a match-maker and she was damn good at it.

After collecting the drink orders, Trisha maneuvered among the different tables, specifically leaving a certain one until last. "Here is your daiquiri, Tammy." Enthralled by one of the stories Wolford was now telling the table, she barely acknowledged the young doe before sipping at her drink. Trisha tapped her foot, annoyed at being ignored so completely. Her determination would win out, however as a new tactic formed in her mind. Not for nothing was she the best waitress at the 10-7, her uncanny ability to memorize customers and their orders being very helpful in speeding up the process, much to the bartender's and owner's pleasure. But while she used it to help business, she also used t to help herself, being able to remember anything she heard or saw happening at the tables. She never used it for anything besides allowing herself to join in on the conversations and make friends, but tonight she would use it for an evil purpose.

Knowing that Tammy had a ticklish spot right above the crook of her elbow, Trisha dug into it with her dull claws. The effect was immediate, the cheetah suddenly snorting with laughter, the sip of her drink she had just taken being sprayed out over the paw she had clasped to her mouth. The rest of the table, not seeing Trisha hiding behind her chair, were a bit shocked by what had just occurred, the story being rather gruesome and not at all amusing. Mortified, Tammy quickly stood and stammered an apology before turning away muttering something about going to the restroom to clean up. Passing by the doe, she did not even glance her way. Trisha let out a low sigh, thinking she was in the clear, suddenly found herself being hoisted into the air by her shirt. Letting out a quiet "Eep", she found herself floating towards the back of the bar. Being dropped unceremoniously to the floor, Trisha looked up into the stern and unforgiving face of the female officer.

"Trish, what the hell was that?"

Feigning innocence, the doe rocked back and forth. "What was what, Tammy?" The cheetah merely stood over her, her size overshadowing the poor rabbit. Trisha was very good at playing the waiting game, rarely ever breaking first. However, the female from the ZPD was more intimidating than she had first figured, her intense gaze making Trisha shiver. "Okay, okay! Turn it off. Jeez." Tammy relaxed her gaze a bit, her face becoming softer.

"Okay little rabbit. Spill." The doe glanced around a couple times, making sure they wouldn't be overheard just in case her plan went south.

"Do you see the striped beauty at the bar?" Tammy looked over in that direction, spotting the tigress immediately as she was still the only one there. She stared a few seconds longer than she needed to, the stripes on her fur mesmerizing the cheetah whose stomach had started doing flips the moment she had first walked into the bar.

"Yeah. Name's Forrest. She's joining Precinct One."

"Well, she's not having a very good day. Did you notice anything off about her?" The cheetah paused, thinking back to when she had seen the tigress at their table. She had indeed seemed overly melancholy, especially for having just graduated and being given the top assignment on the force.

"Yeah, she was pretty put out. Not really interested in discussing her time at the Academy, barely doing more than nod when being asked questions or when others tried to engage her. We chalked it up to being tired." She narrowed her eyes suddenly at the brown bunny. "Why? Is something wrong? What are you trying to do, Trish?"

"Nothing, nothing," she added quickly, trying to word this the best she could. "She, well she got rejected earlier today by someone she _really_ liked. Hurt that it was a fellow cadet." Tammy nodded slowly, knowing full well about the fraternization rules at the Academy but not understanding where this was going. "So she's just been hurting over there. All alone." The doe's big eyes were staring at the cheetah, seemingly trying to will her thoughts into her head.

"Trisha just say what you want to s-"

"She likes spots." Tammy blinked, a look of confusion spreading across her face.

"Spots?" Trisha nodded excitedly. "She likes spots, so what? I don't have any friends looking for a girlfriend right now, and even if I did, do you think we should just set her up with some guy just because she had a hard day?"

" _Female_ spots."

"Fem-...oh." A blush began to form, tinging her ears with red. "Well then...why didn't you just say so." Tammy winked at the doe before moving back to the table. Grabbing her daiquiri, she excused herself, the others giving her a quick wave before going back to the story. Moving in the direction of the bar, Tammy felt herself become a little nervous. It had been a while since anyone had expressed any interest in her, at least anyone she would also desire, and it made butterflies suddenly appear in her stomach. Interspecies relationships weren't unheard of and neither were same-sex relationships, however interspecies same-sex was extremely rare. To find another like her, well, that could not be more fortunate. Striding up the bar, Tammy used all of her police training to steel her nerves, afraid she might start giggling like mad or simply pass out with how nervous she was. Standing next to the tigress, she let her eyes roam over her form, noting the rippling muscles in her arms, her biceps nearly three times the size of her own. The trim stomach and strong legs made the cheetah flush a little. "May I join you?"

Lylah was still brooding a little. Her interaction with the doe had slightly cheered her up but she still felt a bit hollow inside. She knew it wasn't the end of the world, that she would find someone again, but the odds on another female cheetah popping up in her life that would actually be attracted to her was slim to none. Deep in thought, her mind registered someone trying to speak with her but didn't catch the words. Turning in her seat to attempt to make them leave her alone, she froze, the words being cast away with the breeze. A vision of beauty stood in front of her, one that left her stunned speechless. Tall and thin, the cheetah smiled down at her, repeating her request to join her. "Oh! Um, yes, please!" Lylah could only watch as Tammy placed her drink down onto the bar before stepping around to the stool. Her graceful movements were not lost on the captivated tigress who was busy trying to keep her mouth closed. The tigress stared at her, running her eyes over the cheetah's figure. Zoe had been slender, her feminine form on display and very attractive. Tammy however, was a whole other creature indeed. She still kept the lithe frame that most female cheetahs had, but this one was built with sex in mind. Wide, rounded hips and a curved rear graced her view, the very thought of them being bared open for to explore causing her to shiver slightly. Her developed and similarly rounded chest just begging for her to run her claws through the fur covering it. So distracted by her beauty and the lust it created within her, Lylah had to focus to even hear what she was saying.

"So Trisha was telling me you had a rough day, huh pretty kitty?"

Blushing slightly, the tigress nodded. "You could say that."

"She also said it was over a girl?" Her throat feeling very dry, Lylah nodded. "Turned you down, huh?" Dropping her gaze to the floor, all the striped feline could do was give a short jerk of her head in the positive. "Well that's foolish." Running her claw along Lylah's jaw, Tammy brought her voice to a whisper. "What mammal wouldn't want a pretty kitty like you? I know I sure would." The tigress raised her head so fast she nearly passed out, her eyes wide open in shock. Tammy giggled, the child-like sound betraying her tough cop demeanor.

"I have a feeling our little friend over there," she nodded towards the brown bunny whose paws were clasped together in excitement, her shockingly blue eyes trained on their every move, "is trying to play matchmaker. Now, I know you just got turned down today, and it's been a very long time for me, so what do you say we just go somewhere and talk? I think both of us know this is too rare an opportunity to not at least see if it's a possibility."

Pondering for only a second, Lylah agreed. "I can go along with that. Worst case is I get turned down again." She dug through her pocket before Tammy slapped a twenty on the counter.

"Rookie's drinks are on me. See ya, Mike." Wrapping her arm in the stronger one of the tigress, Tammy led her out the doors without a word to her coworkers.

* * *

"Well I guess Lylah's feeling better." Judy, still lost in thought about earlier, turned her gaze up to her mate who was staring towards the door. Facing that direction, Judy's eyes caught the form of the tigress leaving with a slightly smaller cheetah, the two arm in arm both looking nervous and excited.

"No way. Tammy?!" Judy was speechless. She had worked with the cheetah officer before. She had been there for three years and was technically Judy's superior but you wouldn't know it based on how the 26 year old acted. She was often behind many of the pranks around the precinct, her reputation for playfulness well deserved. She rarely missed a party and usually ended up being the life of it. When it came to doing her job however, Tammy was as professional as any other officer. True it didn't stop her from constantly teasing her partners, but after being with Nick she seemed like a watered down version to Judy. "I didn't even know she swung that way," her voice and body language tinged with surprise.

Nick raised a brow at the doe. "Disappointed you didn't know and got stuck with this mangy fox?" She couldn't be cuter if she tried, he mused as her ears turned a dark pink, her nose twitching rapidly.

"Nick, I'm not like that." He prodded her in the side, wanting to see how much he could make her blush.

"What about that Trisha? You guys seem to be pretty friendly with each other," he teased. "Hope you aren't thinking of leaving me for another bunny."

Her paw snapped out quicker than he could follow to grab his crotch, the sudden feeling both painful but also pleasurable at the same time. "Listen here, _fox,"_ she hissed through her clenched teeth. _"_ Even if I _could_ leave you, I wouldn't. I love you too much and no one will ever make me feel the way you do. Now," she squeezed harder making him yelp, quiet enough to not draw attention, "if you ever want to do what we did earlier, I suggest we change the subject." Releasing him, her lips curled into a loving smile before reaching herself up and giving him a quick kiss.

 _What the hell did I get myself into with this damn bunny?!_ "Well, as I am rather distracted by some very tender bits of myself being even more tender at the moment, I suggest you pick a topic."

Judy settled herself back into his lap, the feel of his arms wrapping around her was so comforting she felt as if there was a care in the world. She could have stayed like this in silence forever, but there was one thing she had been curious about since that first night at Milos's restaurant. "I know about your mom, Nick. But you never talk about your dad. Why did he not come to your graduation?"

Mentally rocking back, he found himself a little shell-shocked by the question, not expecting it to come up this soon, or really ever for that matter. He supposed he shouldn't be all that surprised. She, and pretty much every other member of her family, had proven that bunnies were an extremely curious bunch, wanting to know everything about anything.

Sensing his hesitation and feeling the long stretch of silence caused by her question, Judy grew sad. She hadn't meant to hurt him by bringing up what was obviously a difficult subject. "It's okay, Nick. Just forget I mentioned it."

"No, it's okay. You're my mate and you deserve to know everything about me, especially about those who would have been your family too." Not missing how he had said 'would have been,' the bunny's eyes grew large like saucers. Reaching out to grasp his paw, she clenched it tight with her own. Looking down at the sight of her comforting him, he let out a sad smile before taking a deep breath. "It happened when I was 7..."

_**25 years earlier...** _

The air had been humid the last several weeks, the July heat quickly making most mammals sweat throughout the day before returning home to gratefully lay next to the air conditioner. For rather more than a few however, the luxury of A/C was unknown, those caught in the heat having managed to find ways to adapt. Sometimes through external means, sometimes simply by strength of will. But those who had it worst were definitely those of the canine species.

Trapped beneath thick fur their ancestors never seemed to have shed, their inability to cool themselves led many to simply pant, trying to dispel as much internal heat as they could. Wolves, who were rather respected in the community. were better off as they could find steady jobs and afford those apartments with central cooling. Foxes on the other paw, who were normally very poor due to the stereotypes forced upon them as being sly and untrustworthy, leaving many out of work, were left with two choices. Either move to Tundra Town and risk freezing to death, their bodies not designed for arctic temperatures, or simply learn to live with it.

As with many members of his species, John Wilde often found himself persecuted simply because of his red fur and black-tipped tail. Regardless of having never been in trouble with the law, having a clean bill of health, satisfactory job references, not even getting into fights with other kits in his youth, he still found many doors closed to him. It was the stigma that he and others of his kind were made to live with. None of them liked it, that was for sure, but it was difficult to try and fight back against the system which often was against them. Many would eventually lose hope, turning to a life of crime to make ends meet, thus further proving the stereotype to be true. It was a never ending cycle and it sickened him.

He wanted more for himself. More for his wife. His parents. His friends. But most of all, for his son Nicholas. He smiled at the thought of his boy, probably playing with his cars on the living room floor. No matter how many times they told him to pick them up, he would always bring them back out again. He would often say it was to be closer to them when they were too tired after long days at work to play with him. It filled him with guilt when he would be unable to crouch on the floor with him as Nick would make the siren noises as they played cops and robbers with his cars. John would always play the robbers, his son always insisting on being the good guy.

A spasm along his lower back drove the precious memories from his mind, the muscles aching after the long day he had already put himself through. Loading and unloading shipping crates for eight hours a day made for a roughed up body by the end of his shift. It may have been stressful on his body, but John was still thankful to be employed. He was paid less than his co-workers which he acknowledged was completely unfair, many of them agreeing with him, impressed by how hard the fox worked, however neither he nor his coworkers would mention it to their boss, fearing losing their jobs.

Making his way home, his head hung low trying to adjust to the pain, he heard a loud commotion coming from ahead. Sirens now becoming audible through the yelling as he came closer. Turning the corner, John was struck dumb at the scene. Smoke was billowing from an apartment complex, the building already consumed by flames. Two fire trucks had turned their hoses on the building, attempting to extinguish the fire, while others attempted to make their way into the building to rescue any mammals still trapped inside. After several minutes which seemed like hours to the onlookers, a pair of firefighters emerged hauling a unconscious zebra between the two of them, a third behind them with a smoke stained foal.

"Is that the last of them?" bellowed the chief on scene, a rather imposing looking rhino.

A cry came from the crowd, a mother pig holding her two children tight to her chest. "No! There's a family of buffalo still inside! They live on the fifth floor!"

The heads of everyone there turned to look at the building, their hearts sinking as they saw the thick black smoke pouring from the windows. While there weren't any visible flames, most of them knew that it was the smoke that tended to kill most mammals in a fire, and with the heat already making it's way through the building, the larger firefighters couldn't risk going in, their weight making it unsafe to move. It would be too risky even to try and use their ladders to make their way in through the windows. Each and every one of them sadly realized there would be no help coming from them to rescue the family, most convinced they were most likely already dead.

The chief started yelling out instruction to his mammals, telling them to tap more hydrants to put out the blaze. No one noticed a red fox, his shirt now torn and a rag wrapped over his muzzle running for the front of the building until he had already reached it. With a sudden cry from an elephant on hose detail, the chief turned and saw the fox about to enter the doorway.

"Fox! Get away from there!" With a lazy salute, the red mammal leapt through the fiery opening and was gone.

While foxes were known to have superior night vision, being surrounded by dark clouds of smoke did not mean John could see. He had to be smart and use his size to his advantage. Dropping himself onto all fours, the fox began crawling through the vacated building as safely as he could. The heat was overwhelming. If he hadn't have already been panting from the weather outside, he most certainly would have started now. It took a lot of concentration to act against his instinct to dispel the heat as large gasps of air would only quicken his exposure to the smoke.

Moving through the hall slowly, his paw eventually found a piece of upraised wood, the worn material covered in many hoof marks and cracks made by large paws not being all that gentle with the stairs he had found. Hearing a creak and a groan coming from the wood as he placed his weight onto it, John understood why the firefighters had backed off from the building. Not a single mammal out there was smaller than a grown wolf, the weight alone would cause them to get injured, possibly even die themselves as the wood broke away. His form being much lighter, John still had to step carefully to avoid going right through the stairs himself. Realizing the problem he now faced for his own well being, he pondered how he would get a family of buffalo down to the first floor. But first he had to find them.

He lost count of how many steps he had climbed, how many times he had turned into the next stairwell, the smoke and the heat clouding his mind and his vision. He knew that he would need to turn back soon if he did not find the family to avoid his own death. Luckily for him, fate was smiling on him that day, as a door was standing wide open at the top of the last staircase, a hoof visible through the frame. As he drew nearer however, his mood of triumph faltered. The hoof he could see was attached to a cape buffalo who was laying face down on the floor, unmoving. Entering the room, he grew even more dismayed at finding a second adult flat on their back, her eyes glassy and without life. Quickly checking them for a pulse and finding none, he felt himself collapse onto the floor, his rear taking the shock of the hard wooden floor under the thin carpet. Getting ready to head back out, he paused at a faint sound coming from over in the corner, barely audible over the roar of the flames.

A small bundle of cloth, seemingly having rolled away from the female buffalo, her arm outstretched towards it, was laying next to a large couch. His eyes, still sharp even in the smoke, detected movement. Hurrying over, John shifted the cloth aside to reveal a calf baby, no more than a few months old. Her eyes were wide with fear, teary from the agitation the heat was causing. Her small size had allowed her to escape asphyxiation unlike her unfortunate parents. Foxes, due to their small size, were normally only to carry small amounts of weight, not nearly enough to handle a cape buffalo calf. For the first time in his life, John was happy he had been hauling crates for months on end, his muscle tone being able to carry the child out of the building.

Scooping the crying bundle into his arms, John made his way back towards the stair case. With needing two arms to carry the child, he was forced to stand unlike when he come in on all fours. This left him vulnerable to the smoke which had thickened much since he had entered the building. Ducking down as low as he could to avoid it and to allow him to see, the fox made his way down the stairs, being careful to avoid the spots that looked the weakest.

Feeling the heat increasing and the cries from the calf becoming quieter, John took a chance and sped up, knowing that if he didn't get the baby to the paramedics, she could be lost too. His risk proved to be his folly, the next step he took going through the wood, the weakened stair crashing down. Out of instinct, he had slid the baby down the rest of the stairs, thankful he was only a couple from the last landing. Locking his claws into the remaining part of the step, John halted his descent. Trying to haul himself back up, he soon found that his situation had gone from bad to worse. Pieces of broken wood had lodged themselves into his shoulders, causing him intense pain when he tried to move. Between the heat, the smoke, and the agony now lancing through his body, John almost passed out. Only the faint cries of the calf below keeping him fighting.

Straining every muscle left in his body, the desperate fox pulled himself up, the shards of wood breaking off in his skin, the thicker pieces simply tearing through his flesh leaving giant gashes down his arms. Blood flowed freely down his arms, the pain ignored as John focused on his mission. Grabbing the bundle back up, he made a last charge of pure desperation to the opening, daylight barely visible through the billowing thick clouds of black smoke. He emerged into the street, the cries he had been hearing earlier now dead silent before cheering could be heard, the sound starting low before reaching deafening volumes. His soot stained eyes scanned the road before finding a white vehicle with a giant red cross emblazoned on the side. Staggering towards it as quickly as possible, he tried to cry out only to find his voice no longer working, a haggard cough escaping instead. A zebra monitoring another patient heard him and turned quickly. John raised the bundle as high as he could, the infant's cries now being heard away from the sounds of the collapsing building. Bounding over, the paramedic grabbed the calf from the fox and took him to the back of the truck. Another EMT made their way towards the fox.

The fire chief beat him there and glared down at the Vulpine. "That was a dangerous, idiotic, foolish thing to do, fox." A smile broke out across his face. "But that calf is going to live thanks to you." Clapping him on the back, the chief, the EMT, and the entire crowd grew deathly silent as the fox keeled over, his muzzle slamming into the ground. "We need a team over here, now!" The rhino knelt down next to him.

The last thought that went through his mind as he closed his eyes was of his son. _I'm sorry, Nicholas. I won't be able to play with you tonight._

_**Present day...** _

"He died on his way to the hospital."

Judy sat in silence, her paws clapped to her mouth in horror as tears streamed down her cheeks. She reached out and caressed her fox's face, wanting to pull him close to her and never let him go.

"It's okay, Carrots. I got over it a long time ago," he shrugged, not knowing how to explain it. "It still hurts, it hurts a lot really. But I know why he did it and that's enough to make it okay."

She laid her head on his chest, trying to make the tears go away. "Did you ever find out what happened to the girl?"

Nick sighed heavily, his paw coming up to stroke her ears. "No, I didn't. I suppose I should have but for a long time I hated her. I didn't even know her but I hated her. When I was seven, I understood that he had sacrificed himself to save a child. It was the ultimate good deed and my father was always about making the world better." He smiled down at her. "Kinda like you, fluff. As the years went on though, it got harder to accept it. Especially when I hit my teens. Other kids had their fathers around, learning how to play sports or fix cars or take them fishing...I didn't have that. I wasn't going to have that. And it made me angry. I blamed him for leaving us. I blamed her for making him leave us. I wanted to know what was so perfect about that little girl that my own father would choose to abandon us for her." He sat staring at his drink, the glass untouched during the whole story. "It wasn't rational, I know. But to me it didn't matter. And that's why I never looked up the girl. I was afraid that I would feel those feelings again and I didn't want to put that on her. I didn't want to possibly make her sad about being alive. I hope though, wherever she is, she's doing good stuff for the world, just like my dad."

* * *

His shift nearly over, the large mammal at Precinct One stared over a pair of files, new cadets being assigned to his precinct. One was the tigress he recognized from earlier that day. He had been impressed with the way she had held her own against the council, even if she did put him and the Major on the spot. He stamped 'Approved' without hesitation before setting it aside, deciding to mull things over before assigning her to a partner. It was the next file that gave him pause, however.

A snarky grin was plastered over the fox's face, making it look more like a mugshot than an officer's employment ID. He had heard from the Major and all of his instructors how he passed every course and test with flying colors, a feat that surprised the buffalo. Although thinking back to when he first met him and how he had stood up to not only him, but all of the surrounding officers at his side without fear and determination he supposed he really shouldn't be. It was his sense of humor that would be the problem. The fox did not exactly scream 'professional' but if he was anything like he expected him to be, he would still do a damn good job.

Reaching into his desk, Bogo's hoof rested on a scrapbook his wife had made for him years ago. It was lovingly decorated and well crafted. Faded with age and a little banged up from looking at it often over the years, it was one of his most cherished possessions. Drawing it out, the Chief ran his hoof along the edge, carefully opening it, making sure not to damage some of the more brittle pages. Shuffling through slowly, Bogo let his mind go back through the wonderful times he had experienced with his family. He may not show it to his officers, but he was a rather emotional mammal, especially for the soft spots in his life.

Pictures of his two boys flying kites in the park, sledding down the hills in Tundra Town with him falling right behind them, tackling their dad from behind knocking him into the pond. More and more pictures passed by until he found one he was looking for. A picture of his wife holding an infant calf. The next set of pages showed two brothers playing with their sister, the girl finding her way into every family portrait. Reaching the most recent one, he stroked it with pride, his eyes welling up slightly.

A picture of a female cape buffalo graced the page, holding a degree and standing with her doctor's coat on, a huge grin across her face. Written down below were some words in flowing script. ' _I love you, daddy.'_

Gazing fondly at his little girl, he moved on to the newspaper article on the opposite page. ' _Hero Fox Saves Calf from Deadly Fire.'_ A shot of a smiling fox sat below the headline, the cape buffalo having read the article so many times he could recite it by heart. Directly next to it was an adoption letter stating that Adonis Bogo and his wife Mary-Ann had been granted parental rights to one Bethany Bogo, daughter to Maurice and Hope Bogo. He missed his brother terribly but he got to see him in his daughter's eyes whenever they were together.

Hovering over the file, Bogo raised the stamp before looking at the photo of the fox again. "Don't worry, John. I'll keep my promise. I'll do my best to keep him safe." Bringing the stamp down hard, he marked him approved to work at Precinct One, an officer of the law. "By the way, your kid's an ass."


	20. Chapter 24 - Try everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I completely forgot I even had a profile on here. Been a rough few weeks.
> 
> Disclaimer - I tried to go undercover in the Disney theme park by posing as a Disney Princess. I got hired instead as one of Cinderella's ugly step-sisters. Frankly I'm a little offended.

It was rare that a fox could awaken before a bunny, even in Zootopia. Their nocturnal traits generally removed their desire to be an early riser, something not easily countered naturally. In the district of Sahara Central, in a very expensive apartment located close to city center, a lone red fox stared down at a small bunny, covered only by a thin sheet she had wrapped herself in. Nick gazed down at his mate fondly. There had been a few times over their relationship when he had been the first one up. This morning was the result of a long night of intimacy, the bunny left completely exhausted. He honestly had not fared much better. Only his excitement and nerves was keeping him awake at this point.

Seeing her bury her head away from the sun, Nick had to smirk at the irony of a fox being up with the dawn and a bunny getting as far away from it as possible. He stared down at her for a few seconds longer before heading out into the hall. He had a big day ahead of him and he wanted to get it right. For his mate as well as for himself. This was the day he had been waiting for for more than six months and he was determined that he would make his mark, to do himself proud as he had been trying to do ever since that annoying, bamboozling, hustling, cute, adorable, beautiful bunny lass of his had turned the mammal he hated to see each morning in the mirror into what he was now. Looking at the closet door, Nick stared with fondness at the two uniforms hanging side by side. In just a few hours they would be walking into the precinct, ready to protect and serve the mammals of Zootopia. _But first,_ he grinned with a mischievous glint in his eye, _I have a couple things to attend to._

Grabbing a towel, Nick headed for the bathroom, eager to get his shower over with so that he could attend to what he had been plotting for weeks. Stepping in, he cranked the heat, letting the hot water run over his fur. As a canid, Nick really didn't like getting wet, but he was well aware of how necessary it was to keep his skin clean and his fur unmatted. Now with winter upon him, the task was even more important. Winter coats were rather long and shaggy, a nuisance for many mammals. Keeping them washed was almost a full time job, especially if you were on the hunt for something to keep the cold nights at bay. As a mated mammal, Nick knew he didn't have to take such extreme care of his appearance, however he wanted to look his best for her, his bunny deserving nothing less than his best. Lathering himself with fur shampoo wasn't exactly what he would call fun though, the experience almost worth giving up that desire. It stank, it took forever to wash away fully, but most important to him was that it washed away the mark she had left on him.

When the two of them had mated for the first time, they had exchanged marks on each other's necks and top of their heads. For the both of them, it was a symbolic gesture of their love and devotion towards each other. Nick's mark was rather potent, the oils of his skin not likely to wash away with one, or even several showers unless extreme measures were taken. It was one of the reasons they had stopped scenting Judy's clothes. His mark would be more than enough for her body to be sustained and they would not need to worry about her falling into a pool again. For him, however, Judy's mark was not so resilient. It would continuously wear off whenever he had to take a shower. It made him almost sad, feeling naked and exposed to the world. Almost as if he was unwanted. He knew it was idiotic to feel like that, but it was instinctual, beyond his control. It was one of the reasons he appreciated showering with her as she could restore the mark immediately after they were done. But on a morning like this, where he still had something to do that required the utmost secrecy, he would have to swallow the horrible feeling until he got back.

Finally done with the tedious task of cleaning and shaking out his fur, Nick toweled off quickly. He would prefer doing a better job but he was running out of time to make this happen before Judy awoke. It felt strange to be pulling on his uniform. It was still hard for him to believe, even after all the training, the life-altering decisions, his mate's belief in him, that he was truly a cop. A mammal not only on the right side of the law, but one of the enforcers of it. Looking at himself in the mirror, the golden badge gleaming on his chest, he saw a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and toothy-smiled fox staring back at him. He reached up and polished his badge with the back of his paw, unknowingly mimicking the action of another officer on her first day. Taking one more glance at his bunny still nestled under the covers, he headed to the door and quietly slipped out.

The day was still early enough that most mammals were still asleep, only those with ridiculously unfair shifts would be up and about or those with dedicated exercise schedules. His neighbor from the end of the hall, a middle aged billy goat named Ron, was one of those. Heading back from his morning jog, the mammal did an extreme double take when he passed by his neighbor now outfitted as a ZPD officer. Giving the goat a friendly wave, Nick was very amused as he watched the goat bump into a table sitting in the middle of the hall. He and the goat had never gotten along well, his neighbor being a rather stubborn speciest, one of the few in the building who would complain to the owner about letting a fox stay there. Those complaints would always fall on deaf ears since John made a lot of money off of Nick, an easy trade-off for him to let Nick stay in the apartment, even for free. One tip could potentially net John three times the apartment's yearly cost each game.

Striding into the elevator, Nick pressed the button for floor 32 without even looking, the path he was headed down having been traveled many times over the years. His thoughts wandering to his fair bunny sleeping below his feet, he grinned widely, knowing that if he could pull this off it would make for one of the best days in the young rabbit's life. He snapped out of his trance in time to catch himself polishing his badge in the reflection of the doors before they opened. He had spent all morning unconsciously giving some attention to his shield, whether it was simply polishing it or just fiddling with it, making sure it was straight. He still was having a hard time believing that in just a few hours he would begin his new career as a cop. But that was for later. Right now he had a scheme to pull off.

Striding down the hall, Nick reached a familiar door, one that he hadn't seen in over six months but could still remember every sound his knuckles would make on it's surface. Raising his paw, he let them do just that, the solid _thunk_ of each knock echoing down the hall. Several seconds passed in silence before a voice rang out. "Alright, alright. I'm coming." Hearing a shuffle headed toward the door, the fox let out a grin, ready to meet the mammal with a smile. "Do you have any idea what time it-..." There was a pause as an old wizened face appeared in the gap, his tired eyes suddenly widening fully. "Nick Wilde! Well I'll be damned." Sweeping his gaze up and down, the snow leopard took notice of the blue uniform. "Huh. That little rabbit of yours was telling the truth."

"Yeah, she's funny like that," Nick shrugged, his smile never fading. "Mind if I come in, John? I know it's early but I wanted to ask you something."

Still in the process of waking up, John hastily stepped back. "Sure sure. Come on in." Letting the small fox step inside, he closed the door and moved around him. "Want something to drink? I can put on some coffee. Might take a few minutes."

"No, I'm afraid I don't have time for that. My partner will be awake soon and she'll be overly curious as to where I got off to." Nick scanned the room, his memory of the place very much intact.

Regarding him with careful eyes, the leopard spoke carefully. "Is this about the arrangement we made? Are you going to stop passing me info because of that shiny piece of tin on your chest?"

"What? No, no. Nothing like that," The Vulpine attempted to reassure him. Looking slightly relieved, John kept his stance at the ready, still not sure he liked where this was headed. Nick, for his part, looked a little uneasy, almost embarrassed. "It's a, um, a personal matter. I want to do something for Carrots. Sorry, my mate," he clarified to the confused cat. Pulling a piece of paper from his pocket, he handed it over, holding it tightly when John tried to take it. Getting frustrated with the fox now, he yanked hard, almost tearing the paper in two. Glaring at the tod, he flicked it open and started reading, his eyes growing wide with each sentence.

"This is...you're joking, right?" Nick shook his head causing John to throw his head back and laugh. "Wow. I can't believe you're willing to go through that level of hell just to make your girl happy." Giving him an appraising look, the leopard smiled. "You certainly have changed, Nick. And for the better, honestly. Now, just because you're on the right side of the law for once don't think that I'll just let you out of our deal. I still have to pay for that apartment I have you two in."

"I'm a mammal of my word, John. You know that. Besides, I would never let Carrots be homeless. I did that far too often to want to put her through that hell." Checking his phone, he noticed it was nearly the time of Judy's alarm. He needed to get back. "Thanks John. Take the cost out of my winnings from Saturday and text me what you're able to score. I'll come by and pick them up after dinner." John gave him a sleepy wave, a yawn stretching across his face. It was still far too early for the feline's taste and he was determined to get another few hours in. Trusting the fox to see himself out, he staggered back to his room. Nick let out a silent chuckle at the sight of the wobbly leopard before opening the door and taking his leave.

Making sure the door was securely locked, Nick strode back down the hall, his pace a little quicker now that he could see what time it was. Nervously bouncing on his feet, he waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive, silently cursing the infernal contraption for being so ridiculously slow. As the doors slid open, Nick sidled in quickly, tapping the number for his floor and grit his teeth, having to endure the ride back down at what he could swear was an even slower pace than before. Watching the numbers tick down, he glanced at his phone seeing only a few minutes until Judy's normal wake up time. With a 'ding', the doors slid open, the grateful tod moving with haste for the door. Carefully opening it, Nick moved as silently as he could into the kitchen, choosing to stand next to the coffee pot as part of his ploy to make him appear innocent.

The alarm going off in the next room was the signal for him to act with controlled deception. Pouring two cups of coffee, Nick slid the second to the other side of the counter, waiting for Judy to come out of the room. His smug look at having beaten the buzzer started to fade after several minutes of waiting. He was beginning to think she had slept through her alarm and decided to go check on her when he heard a sound from behind him.

"So where were you?"

"Gyah!" Nick's paws shot straight up in the air, his coffee spilling all over the floor as the cup landed hard. Thankfully it did not break, but the relief was minor compared to the heart attack Nick feared he was suddenly having. Placing a paw over his chest, he felt the increased speed of his heartbeat thumping so strongly he was almost afraid it would push right out of his chest. Whipping around, he caught sight of the unassuming ball of fluff in a white bathrobe sitting in one of the dining room chairs. In his haste to get to the kitchen, he had completely overlooked her sitting in plain sight. "Jeez Carrots. Don't do that. You're gonna give this old fox a heart attack."

Judy was not amused, her eyes narrowed dangerously thin as her gaze seemed to pierce into his very soul. "I asked you a question, Nicholas Wilde. I got up ten minutes ago to find no fox, no uniform, and no note anywhere in this apartment. So I ask again, where did you go?"

"I...went to see John," he answered truthfully, knowing that she had become so well versed in spotting his lies that he had needed to learn how to use half-truths to hide things from her. Not that he ever did, or ever _would_ do so out of malice or ill intent. "Now it's not like that, Carrots," he quickly added, seeing her brow raise slightly. "It's not illegal. I just needed to ask him a favor. And no, it won't cost me my job or our partnership. And before you ask, no I can't tell you what it is. You'll just have to trust me."

A smile coming from her did much to relieve the stress he was feeling. "Of course I trust you, Nick. More than anything. If you want to tell me I know you will eventually, and if not that's okay too." She clapped her paws together and stood. "Now, since you're all dressed, I'm going to go jump in the shower and get dressed myself. We can head in a bit early and I'll give you a short tour before roll-call." Passing him by, she waited until Nick had turned to grab the other cup of coffee before reaching her paw out and pinching his rear through his uniform. Smiling at the strangled yelp she left behind her, she flicked her tail as a going away apology and treat for her poor mate.

* * *

Cruising along, the duo could not have looked more like 80's tv icons if they had tried. Two cops, badges gleaming on their chests, laid back in a restored muscle car from the late 60's. Judy had insisted that they keep in shape and jog to work, but Nick had shut her down. The last thing he wanted to do was run ten miles to work before being put on patrol or some other task for eight hours. Besides, he had argued, he needed to make the best impression he could and, while several officers had met him on Friday night, no one had seen him decked out in uniform and arriving in his classic car would certainly impress more than a few. His mate had grudgingly accepted his explanations, making the excuse for him that he was right about first impressions, although she knew in reality that he really was just too lazy to go for the long jog.

The good thing about getting to the precinct early was the abundance of parking spots in the garage, the only two spots reserved were for Chief Bogo and the mayor, whose spot was rarely ever occupied. Choosing one directly next to the door, Nick was assured to turn heads as the other officers walked into the building, confident it would be a conversation piece that he could use to his advantage. Turning to face the rabbit snuggled into his side, he raised his shades allowing his eyes to take in her small form, the tight fitting outfit really doing justice to her curves. Tempted to run his paw over the tuft of her tail, he redirected his paw to her ears instead, stroking them softly. "Hey Fluff. We're at work." Opening her eyes, the bunny nuzzled into him one last time before sitting up. She hadn't really been asleep, but it was just so comforting to lay against him that she didn't want to move.

"Alright, Slick. Let's get in there." She started to move to the other side of the car when a large paw reached out and dragged her back to him. Judy froze as a pair of lips met hers, her thoughts going blank for several seconds before she remembered where she was and pushed Nick away. "Sweetie, you can't do that. We're not supposed to be all PDA at work."

"I know," he said with a sly grin. "That's why I'm getting it out of my system before we are actually _at_ work." Pressing his lips to hers again, he was rewarded with her melting into it, returning his kiss with every bit of passion as he did. It felt like the perfect moment and they might have stayed that way forever, if not for a shrill, piercing squeal coming from the driver side window. Jumping away from each other, they both looked over quickly to see the round face of the ZPD's dispatch officer. Nick slapped a paw to his face while Judy looked thoroughly embarrassed.

"B-Ben...W-what are you d-doing here?" Judy stammered, trying to will away the blush spreading along her ears. Raising a brow, Clawhauser merely smiled at the pair.

"I work here, Judy. Remember? You work here too." Ben suddenly looked very smug, worrying the rabbit. "I'm sure Nick is a very good kisser, Judy. But I can't believe he could make you forget about being a cop."

"Mmmm, you'd be surprised," she said, looking dreamily at her mate. Suddenly realizing what she just said, she clapped a paw over her mouth, her eyes now wide with shock. Nick, who had wisely been staying out of the conversation, was overcome with a strong desire to smile with pride, his chest puffing out a bit. Clawhauser's smile widened considerably before winking at the couple and climbing the stairs leading to the lobby. Her face now crimson, Judy scrambled from the car with her ears pulled low over her face, motioning for Nick to follow. Chuckling as silently as he was able, the tod got out of the car and moved up the stairs, the bunny leading the way.

Nick had only been in the precinct a few times in his life. Once was roughly seven months ago when he had the meeting with Chief Bogo that had set him on the path towards becoming an officer. The other times he had been brought in as a witness and a 'person of interest,' neither of which held up. As he had told Judy so very long ago, he was untouchable. But now, being in the lobby for the first time that he actually belonged there, it was so much different. He didn't feel scared, he felt strong. He didn't feel nervous, he felt proud. The shield to him was more than just an accomplishment, it was a symbol of how he had changed his life for the better, how he could _be_ better.

"Nick! C'mon!" Knocked from his thoughts, the vulpine looked around wildly before seeing Judy waving at him from across the lobby, her paw on a wooden door. He hurried over, not failing to see the sappy look Clawhauser sent his way from the front desk. Shooting back his own sly grin, Nick turned to face forward, reaching the door just as Judy started to let it swing closed.

Finding himself in a room filled with tables, chairs, and a single large podium in the front, Nick easily surmised this was the infamous bullpen Judy kept going on about. On the walls he noticed several wanted posters. Some of the mammals were ones he knew personally, although tried to always avoid. A few maps of the city graced the walls, along with several bulletin notices on new cases and inter-department memos. It was fairly bland compared to what Judy had described but he supposed it was due to her overall enthusiasm to see things in a more positive light. Carrot colored glasses and all that.

They had in fact been early, however their little escapade in the car along with the short discussion with Clawhauser had set them back several minutes. Several of the chairs were now full including both Tammy and Lylah, the latter sitting in the back, trying and failing to hide her gaze that went straight to the female cheetah near the front. Nick stopped by his friend, letting Judy move further ahead to the chair in the front row. "Hey Whiskers. How was the weekend?"

Not having noticed the fox sidling up to her, the sound of his voice at her elbow gave the tigress a bit of a scare. "Gah!" Noticing a few mammals looking over at her including Tammy, a look of concern on her face, Lylah waved them off with a smile before turning her ire to the tod. "Dammit Foxy. Why?"

Nick shrugged, his smirk larger than before. It had not been his intention to scare the poor feline, but now that he had and she thought it was intentional, he was going to drag it out as long as possible. "Must be disconcerting, being a mighty tiger scared of a wee little fox."

Putting a claw in front of his smug face, Lylah grinned evilly and started to berate him. "Look here, _Foxy._ I don't-," suddenly realizing how it appeared, her face close to his, a grin on her face, she pulled back, her eyes fearful as they looked towards the gray bunny in the front.

Following her gaze, Nick realized the cause of her apprehension. "Don't worry, Whiskers. We did some... _advanced_ meditation to work on her self control over the weekend." Indeed, Judy had been watching the pair's exchange, her eyes slightly narrowed but her face relatively calm showing no malice towards the tigress. "As long as there's no intentional flirting or an attempt at intimate touching, she's able to control it."

"How did you manage to do that?"

"We, uh, we spent Saturday and Sunday at the Mystic Springs Oasis." Lylah stared at him, slightly dumbfounded before laughing hard. Not caring how much attention she was drawing to herself, Lylah just could not stop. Nick stood there for a while, a grin on his face while waiting for his friend to eventually stop. After nearly a minute, her laughs now becoming quiet chuckles, Nick began again. "Carrots had been going there to learn meditation during my time at the Academy so it seemed like a good enough place to go back."

"And that worked?" Lylah was still having trouble keeping a grin off her mouth, but she honestly was interested in how Judy had overcome some of her problems.

"Yeah, for the most part. First day we had some...trouble. An arctic vixen decided to approach, probably thinking I was alone. Well, Carrots' mark on me would have easily told her I was off the market but I guess she didn't like the fact that I was already claimed. She, uh, got very flirty and rubbed her paw down my chest."

"Oh I bet Flopsy _loved_ that." She turned and smiled at Judy, making sure to keep it light and friendly. With her sensitive hearing, Judy had been eavesdropping on their conversation and knew what she was referring to. Seeing her smile back, Lylah appreciated the slightly evil look on the bunny's face. "So what happened next?"

"Carrots chased her away. Literally. She was halfway through the lobby before I caught her. The vixen had escaped out the front door, but she was still nude so I imagine it was quite a sight." The tigress tried to contain herself but some high-pitched giggles escaped through her paw.

"Was she okay after that incident?"

"Well..." he began, looking slightly happy as if remembering something fondly but also embarrassing. "Let's just say she got very... _possessive_ and wanted to prove that she was my mate for a reason."

Lylah clapped a paw to her mouth. "She didn't."

"Oh yes she did. Normally she grabs me by the tie to drag me around but when you're at a naturalist club you don't exactly have one of those, so...well, use your imagination. Anyways, we ended up behind a palm tree near the waterfall. That took up a couple hours so we really only got in a few hours of mediation that day."

"Wait wait wait... _two_ _hours?"_

Nick just smirked. "Bunnies." He glanced back to see Judy waving him over. "Speaking of, I gotta get to my seat. Hope you get a good assignment today." Lylah waved halfheartedly, her jaw still hanging from their conversation.

Nick climbed up into the chair in the front, the larger furniture piece being wide enough to accommodate both mammals with room to spare. Even though there was several inches on either side of them, the fox and rabbit chose to press together as close as they could, their desire for physical intimacy outweighing the sense of decorum they should probably be portraying. Turning, he whispered into Judy's ear. "You doing okay, Carrots?"

"Yeah." Reassuring him with a smile, she held up her paw, showing it was perfectly calm. "It's a lot easier since this weekend. Thank you for that. I'm sure it can't have been all that comfortable for you. I've been going there for months and I still feel a bit self-conscious."

"Actually I have a lifetime membership," he said nonchalantly. Judy stared at him, her mouth hanging slightly open in shock. She gathered herself to ask why on Earth he would be a lifetime member but was interrupted by the rest of the officers coming into the bullpen.

"I'm telling you Dwayne, that car has to belong to some sort of celebrity." A large tigress strolled in through the door, part of a large group of officers talking excitedly.

Rolling his eyes, the large rhino just sighed at what he had been hearing for the last ten minutes non-stop. "Fangmeyer, no celebrity is just going to show up at the precinct."

"Could be the new mayor's car," piped up a lion, his expression bored but his alert eyes betraying his own excitement.

Shaking his head, a large polar bear interjected himself into the conversation. "Nope. He's got a middle class income and the new council put strict limitations on city spending after the whole 'Nighthowler' incident. No way he could afford a Boss."

Nick sat silent in the front row, purposefully keeping his gaze forward to hide his smile. He knew they were talking about his car, he was simply waiting for the perfect opportunity to reveal it, hopefully impressing his new coworkers to break the ice. Several of the officers he had met at his graduation party, but none of them had seen his car as they arrived or left the 10-7 bar so it was just as much a mystery to them as everyone else. The only two mammals in the room who knew it was his car was Judy and Lylah, his friend having been a fellow cadet during his time at the Academy. He knew they wouldn't tell anyone which he was very grateful for. Lylah knew if he hadn't spoken up yet it was for a very good reason. _Make that three,_ he mused as a female elephant ducked into the room. Hoping she wouldn't spill the beans, Nick bit the inside of his cheek trying to hold back his nerves.

Towering over the other officers, Francine smirked at the heated discussion they were having. "What are we all talking about?"

"Oh, morning Francine," Delgato greeted her warmly. "We were discussing who that cherry red Boss-9 must belong to." A little taken aback, Francine's eyes flicked towards the red fox at the front of the room, noting an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

"I see," she said simply, moving to take her seat, no longer seeking any part of the conversation. The strange behavior of their friend did not escape the officers, Fangmeyer in particular narrowing her eyes.

"You know." To her credit, Francine didn't react to the accusation, merely examining her nails for any leftover dirt or crud buildup.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that, Liz."

"Don't give us that. You know exactly whose car that is. Now spill. Whose car is that?"

Unseen by the rest of the room, Nick had climbed on top of the desk in front of him, sitting and facing the back of the room. "It's mine." Nearly a dozen heads stopped and turned as one towards the front. He was prepared for a few questions, even expecting a few accusations due to his species. What he had _not_ been ready for was a sudden surge of mammals practically falling over each other to reach the vulpine. They began talking so fast he had a difficult time understanding them all.

"Is that really your car?"  
"Where did you find one?"  
"You have a big dent in it by the way."  
"Can I take it for a spin? I've always wanted to ride in one!"

Glancing at the tigress, he answered her question first. "Yes, it really is my car, Liz." Turning his gaze to the lion, his face broke into a wide grin. "I got my paws on a shell of one and spent 5 years rebuilding it. Yes Dwayne, I know there's a dent in it. Battle scar from an important mission. The most important one in my life, really," he added with a sidelong glance at his mate. "And no. Absolutely not. That car is customized for mammals my size or less. You break my car and I will..." Noticing how much larger the mammals were than him, he paused for a second. "...have Carrots over here kick your collective asses."

"Nick!" Judy threw a solid punch into his arm, causing most of the other officers to chuckle and disperse back to their seats. Knowing it was a joke, most of them took it in stride, however they all had a very real, healthy fear of the rabbit, each of them having been humiliated and humbled by the small officer in the sparring ring. "You used me as a threat? How could you?"

"Well it was very easy. I simply threatened them by using you. It was quite effective too. Ouch!" Another thump on the other shoulder had Nick rubbing both at the same time, appearing as if he were suddenly cold. "Ease up on me, Carrots. I'm a fragile little thing, you know." He sent a sly smirk her way, a twinkling in his eyes matching the playfulness of his tone.

"Oh no. I'm so sorry, mister fox," Judy continued the little game, knowing where it was probably leading but didn't feel like stopping his shenanigans. "What ever can I do to make it better?" Nick leaned in, quickly pressing his lips to hers. Judy was too stunned to move at first so Nick pushed his tongue forward, spreading her lips and slipping inside on his own. Suddenly gaining back control of her body, Judy grabbed the fur on his cheeks and hauled him closer, her tongue now joining the exploration of each other's mouths. A large amount of whistling and cat calls went on behind them, but neither of them seemed to notice, too entranced by the other to care about their surroundings. The silence that suddenly fell also went ignored until a very loud snort had made them pause.

Turning their heads towards the front, their lips finally separating, the duo blanched at the sight of an angry cape buffalo glaring at them from the podium. Immediately jumping away from her mate, Judy attempted to portray an air of professionalism, a feat which didn't appear to gain any sympathy from the Chief. Nick merely smirked, quite pleased with himself. The entire room held their collective breaths waiting for the explosion to come. All of them were dumbfounded when the Chief simply rolled his eyes in exasperation and turned his gaze back towards the clipboard in his hoof.

Bogo stood against the podium, ready to start the day, a headache already forming because of the two mammals in front of him. _Why did I agree to let them be partners? Especially with her condition. This is going to be the longest winter of my life._ "We have some new recruits with us this morning, including our first fox. Who cares?"

"Ha! You should have your own line of inspirational greeting cards, sir!" Nick couldn't help but smirk at the Chief, knowing he may be getting himself into hot water, but considering the way they had already aggravated him since the start of roll-call it couldn't be helped. He was just born to antagonize.

"Shut your mouth, Wilde!" Bogo tried to regain control of the room, dismayed and angered by the chuckling he could hear from several officers. Even Judy was trying to stifle a giggle, her paws clamped tight over her mouth. "Assignments: Officers Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, Delgato - Tundratown SWAT." The three officers stand and head out of the room, barely making it out the door before the Chief addressed the next group. "Snarlov, Higgins, Wolfard - undercover." Snarlov put on a green cap while Higgins affixed a fake mustache onto his lip. Wolford donned a ridiculously realistic sheep costume before following the other two from the room. "Hop-...Sorry, _Wilde_ , still trying to get used to that. Wildes... parking duty. Dismissed." Judy and Nick look at the chief, a pained expression on their faces. Bogo grinned before speaking in a high pitched voice. "Just kidding! We have reports of a street racer tearing up Savannah Central. Find him. Shut him down." The pair saluted before grabbing the file. "And just be warned. If I didn't know exactly what was going on between the two of you I would have you both on parking duty for a month after that little display. Now, I'm only going to say this once. I don't want to see any public displays of affection on duty or in uniform."

"What about private displays on duty? Some ladies love the uniform you know."

"Get out, Wilde! Both of you!" The duo scampered out, Judy leaping up to smack her mate in the back of the head. Bogo shook his head, his expression frustrated and angry, although a small smile seemed to creep along when Nick's cry of pain echoed back into the room. Turning his gaze to the other officers left, he addressed another new recruit. "Forrest!" Lylah jumped to attention.

"Yes sir!"

"Parking duty." Her face fell in dismay.

"May I ask why? Sir?"

The chief hated giving out this assignment unless it was for punishment purposes. Giving it to rookies was a blatant insult, practically broadcasting to the rest of the precinct that he had no faith in their abilities. When he had given it to Judy, it had been to do exactly that, to demoralize her into quitting the force. After she had proved him wrong, Bogo had taken time to reevaluate his policies, determining that it was better for rookies to partner up with a senior to best learn how to do the job. However, things weren't always within his control.

"I'm sorry, Forrest. I have not decided on a proper partner for you yet and I was left with no other option." The tigress looked down dejectedly.

Tammy looked back at her, noting how upset she was. "Chief Bogo? If I may?" The buffalo, already expecting something else to occur that morning, dropped his head.

"Yes Officer Thompson. What do you want?"

"Sir, I could train Officer Forrest today." Lylah's head snapped up quick, her gaze locked on the slim cheetah. "You sent my partner out on an undercover assignment so I'll be out on patrol alone. We could make use of that empty seat, sir." Hating himself for agreeing with her, Bogo nodded. The two mammals jumped up, giving him a crisp salute. As they got near the door, Bogo called out to them.

"Patrol only, Thompson. I don't need to hear about _two_ sets of officers violating fraternization rules on the clock." Taking immense satisfaction in the dropping jaws of the two felines, he simply glared at them. "I know about everything that goes on with my officers. Remember that."

* * *

"So what are we in today, Wilde? Three wheeled joke mobile again?" Judy couldn't help but grin when her mate used her new name. It may have been over a month since their ceremony but it never failed to make her feel incredibly happy.

"Oh I think we can do better than that. Ben!" Clawhauser looked over the desk at the two small mammals heading his way. "Keys if you don't mind." The cheetah grinned before grabbing the last set on the hooks underneath the counter. Tossing em to the bunny, he gave her a big wink.

"Careful with this one, Judy. Bogo pulled out all the stops."

Placing her paw over her heart, Judy acted hurt. "Ben. When have you ever known me to be reckless?"

"Didn't you crash Delgato's cruiser a couple mo-"

"Okay bye Ben! We're going on patrol now!" A wicked glint in his eye, Ben went back to his phone, chuckling heavily at the embarrassed doe.

Following his bunny out into the garage, Nick looked fondly over at his car sitting by the door. After having it mentioned, he noticed the dent more than ever, the poor lighting in the garage bringing it out in the shadows. Resolving to have it fixed soon, Nick turned to find his partner who he had lost track of. A sudden rumble of a very powerful engine gave him a start, his head whipping back and forth trying to identify where it was coming from. A piercing bright light suddenly shone from a darkened corner of the lot nearly blinding the fox, his sensitive eyes now watering under the intense glare. With a roar, a monstrous form came rolling towards him through the dark before stopping nearly on his toes.

Offsetting the extremely large machine was the diminutive mammal leaning out the window. "Hey there stranger. Looking for a good time?" The bunny waggled her brows at the red fox, her tone playful and mischievous. Gazing up at her, Nick placed a paw to his chest in mock surprise.

"Madam, I am a taken mammal. I could never just jump into your car like that. Even if you do happen to be the most beautiful bunny I have ever seen in my life." Laughing, Judy blew him a kiss.

"Get in, Slick. We've got work to do." Running around the side of the cruiser, Nick pulled open his own door and clambered inside.

"Well well well. This is rather nice. Power windows, heated seats, cd pl-...seriously, who still uses cd's?" Nick shook his head, still not understanding why people still supported such a dead technology. "So anyway, what are we doing today? Drive for a bit. Maybe get some breakfast. Hop in the back for a little mandatory cuddle time?"

Judy's jaw dropped slightly. "Nick! How could you even think about that?" Her tone appearing somewhat angry, Nick hung his head, realizing his teasing may have gone a bit too far. Her look of shock quickly faded into a smirk worthy of his hustling days. "Those doors can't be opened from the inside. Now if you were to bend me over inside the trunk..." She laughed as the vulpine's head shot up so quick he became dizzy. Seeing her shake with giggles, Nick narrowed his eyes.

"Oh you are an evil, evil bunny." Quickly leaning over the center console, he bit lightly at the crook of her neck causing a shiver to run through the lapine.

"Nick! You just heard the chief. We can't be doing that."

"Actually, he only said he doesn't want to _se_ _e_ it. I'm well within my rights to do _this_ ," he murmured softly, running his long tongue up her ear, pausing only to nibble at the top. His efforts were not ignored, the doe turning her gaze to him, a look of heated longing burning within her beautiful eyes.

"Damn you, Nick. That's going to be bothering me all day." Chuckling, the tod took a quick look outside his window as they were leaving.

"Wait, Carrots. Look at that." The duo stared out into the parking garage, noting two figures coming from the building and heading for another parked cruiser. Tammy and Lylah weren't exactly keeping a respectful distance from each other as you would expect from a rookie being tossed in with a senior partner. Two pairs of eyes followed the felines as they made their way across the garage. Neither was surprised at how close they had been walking. All of the signs had been evident between the two Friday night and the sexual tension between them that morning had been intense. "Five says Whiskers makes the first move."

"You don't know Tammy. I got ten on her."

"Deal." Watching them near the cruiser, the cheetah leaned in to whisper in the tigress's ear, eliciting a shake of the head. Tammy's spotted arm raised to place a paw on the larger feline's shoulder only to have it brushed off. Almost immediately, the striped mammal grabbed both of her shoulders and pushed her up against the column next to their car. She attacked the other cat's lips with such ferocity Judy was sure it would leave Tammy's lips bleeding. Instead of shoving her away, however, Tammy wrapped her arms around the back of her neck hauling her in deeper. Her leg hooked behind the tigress's, sliding up and down the uniformed limb.

"I knew she was lying when she texted me Saturday. 'All we did was talk' my ass." Rolling down the window, Nick leaned out and yelled to the distracted officers. "Hey! Get a room you two! If we can't do that, you don't get to." With a start, Lylah jumped away from the cheetah, glancing around wildly only to see a smug fox hanging out of a car window.

"Dammit Foxy! It took me all morning to work myself up to do that." Giggling, Tammy stepped up to her and stroked her paw down the feline's chest.

"Trust me, Pretty Kitty, you don't need to work yourself up to it. You can do that anytime you want. And you two!" The fox and bunny gave a start as the spotted mammal turned her gaze to them. "You two are such hypocrites."

"Hey, I'll have you know we haven't done anything in the," Nick glanced at the clock, "last four minutes. We are the epitome of 'self-control.' Right Fluff?" Turning, he saw the twitch of his mate's eye, a sure sign he was going to regret the last several sentences he had uttered. A sharp pain and a pulsing bruise to his arm later, a thoroughly sorry Nick Wilde sat rubbing his arm, still wearing his smug smirk. Not many things in the world could remove that signature smirk, least of all a punch from his favorite girl.

"You are banned from touching my ears for the rest of the day, Nicholas Wilde." Her fox gave her a sad pup look, his eyes wide and round, his lower lip trembling.

"What about stroking them if you're sad?" Judy sighed, finding it impossible to ever not give in to that look which made negotiations with him completely unfair.

"Fine, but only with verbal or written permission. Deal?"

Nick could not find a way out of her proposition, so he simply nodded hoping that when he broke it she would go willingly with what he was offering. "Deal."

His bunny smiled brightly. "Good. Now apologize to the two ladies for interrupting their 'quality time' together and buckle up. We're going on your first assignment."

* * *

"Four hours." Judy slammed her head into the steering wheel. "We've been driving around for four hours and haven't caught even a wisp of smoke or a scent of burnt rubber from this street racer. If this guy is zipping around the district so much why haven't we found him by now?"

"Relax, Carrots. This district is rather large. There's a lot of places he could be right now, including bed. No guarantee he'll even be out today." Humming to himself, Nick continued looking out his window. It had been rather invigorating getting to be on this side of the glass for once. The blacked out windows were always intimidating for the many low level criminals that abounded on the streets, and even for those who had skirted the line and weren't able to be prosecuted, not unlike his old self, it still set off many alarms screaming to get out of sight immediately. Now though, he was the one behind the darkened glass, able to see the world differently now that he was wearing a shield. Oh sure, he could still spot obvious hustles going down, even going so far as to be able to show the young bloods what they were doing wrong, but it simply held no interest for him anymore.

It also helped him recognize when actual crimes were being committed. He was able to point out several pickpockets and black market sales to his partner that would have gone unnoticed by the small officer. Not for her lack of ability as a cop, but simply due to those criminals having made it part of their livelyhood to avoid the attention of the police. However, the fox wasn't from the typical background of an average cop, which allowed him and his partner to rack up several arrests for his first morning. By the time they hauled in their fifth perp of the day, Nick had gained quite a lot of respect from the other officers in the precinct. Even Chief Bogo was not immune to feeling some pride of his newest officer. Judy had caught him watching over the railing as they had left, swearing she could see the edges of a smile gracing his mouth, not that she would ever tell Nick or anyone else for that matter.

"Why don't we grab lunch? The street racer will probably make his appearance in the afternoon so we'll have time to relax and refuel."

Nodding, Judy replied almost immediately, letting her mate know that she was extremely hungry. "I could use something to eat. What's good around here, Mr. 'I know everyone'?"

Giving her a sly smile, Nick tapped a claw against his chin. "Probably the best place is at the corner of Main St. W and Park St. Take a right and three blocks down." Following his directions, Judy parked the cruiser in a small lot next to what looked like a diner from the 1970's.

"'The Knife and Spoon'?" A questioning gaze from the rabbit had Nick chuckling.

"Yeah. Sounds pretty stupid but the motto is the best. 'I don't give a fork.'"

Judy rolled her eyes, groaning at the stupid pun. No wonder her fox would know about this place. _The owner sounds like he has the same sense of humor that Nick does._ _Might as well give the food a shot. Don't have an endless lunch break._ Walking up to the building, Judy was horrified at the dirt and grime on the outside of the walls. "Nick, this place looks disgusting."

Simply flashing her a smile, Nick opened the door and disappeared inside. Judy followed, albeit somewhat hesitantly at the idea of what was waiting for her past the doorway. Inside the diner she was extremely surprised. The place was immaculate. She couldn't spot a speck of dust, hint of a stain, or sticky floor from a soda spill anywhere. The faded pleather booth benches were worn but did not have a single tear. The stools were even polished so that the chrome shone as if brand new. "Georgie is very particular about keeping his place clean," Nick said from behind her.

"I can tell. I think I could eat off this floor without hesitating."

"I suggest a table, miss. I don't like mopping the floors too much. Hurts my back." An aging warthog came around the corner from the kitchen, wiping his hooves clean with a rag that he carefully placed in a hamper behind the counter. Extending his hoof, he introduced himself. "George Phaco. Everyone just calls me Georgie."

"Nice to meet you, Goergie. I'm Judy-"

"Figured that one out for myself, little lady," he chuckled. Turning, he took notice of the uniformed vulpine to his side. "Wilde. Well, well, well. Looks like the rumors were true. You went and joined the fuzz." Narrowing his eyes, he scrutinized him carefully. "It's not another con, is it?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" Nick asked rhetorically, letting out a soft laugh. "No fear, Georgie. This adorable rabbit coerced me into joining the force to be her partner. Ripped me away from my cushy con days. But I got her back. Convinced her to be my mate."

"Oh you poor thing," Georgie addressed the rabbit, shaking his head. "Does he give you any trouble?"

"Not if he wants to sleep in the same bed." Nick spluttered as the warthog threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"That's _my_ bed!"

" _Was_ your bed," she corrected him. "Now it's mine. I just let you sleep there. And it was _I_ who had to convince _you_ to become my mate. You were too stupid to catch on."

"So you admit it," he said slyly, his brow waggling rapidly. "You were smitten with this hot fox so much you were willing to chase me forever, huh?"

"Keep dreaming, fox," she teased, inwardly pleased at his words. "So Georgie, what's good to eat around here?"

_**20 minutes later...** _

"I'm not really into that kinda stuff, Carrots."

"Please Nick? It would be so incredible to see her live and she won't be doing another in Zootopia for months." A pair of clasped paws lay on the table, ones which Nick was having a difficult time trying to ignore. He had never really known his mate to plead for anything outside of sex which was merely a formality as neither could keep their paws off each other. Yet here she was, lavender eyes opened wide, a lower lip quivering in his direction. The entire thing reeked of cuteness and it was nearly impossible for him to resist.

"Carrots, even if I said yes, it's sold out. I couldn't get tickets if I wanted to." Taking another bite of his chicken sandwich, Nick really wasn't even tasting it at this point. His mind had been consumed with trying to keep his face composed. It took a lot of effort to keep from bursting out what he was really thinking, knowing that the surprise he had planned was only a few hours away at most. Still, it was extremely difficult trying to keep this from his bunny knowing how much it meant to her.

Sulking, Judy pushed away her salad and flopped back into the booth. "But it's _Gazelle_ , Nick! I've been wanting to see her for, like, _ever._ Couldn't you...I mean, do you know if...any of your old contacts might have a way to get them?" She avoided his gaze until she finished speaking, looking up at him hesitantly.

Nick couldn't keep the grin from forming on his muzzle. "Why Officer Wilde," her heart fluttered once more as he reminded her that she was his mate, "are you encouraging me to use _illegal_ methods to score you a pair of tickets?"

Shooting him the most seductive look she could muster, she gazed at him with half-lidded eyes and a silent promise on her lips of her willingness to do anything he might ask in return. "Am I asking you to do that? Yes. Yes I am."

Rubbing the back of his neck, the vulpine let out a heavy sigh, contorting his face into a grimace. "I'll think about it, Fluff." He hoped his little show was good enough to fool her. She had become such an expert at reading him that it was almost impossible to get anything past her. It seemed luck was on his side as she pumped her fist in the air, her desire to possibly see her favorite pop star in person being enough to distract her. "Why are you so happy? I only said I would think about it."

"Yeah, but thinking about it inevitably just means yes because you can never deny me something that would make me happy. It's one of your fatal flaws. Honestly I'm pretty sure you are always just distracted because you're ogling my butt." Judy smirked, a smug expression over her face. Nick realized he'd been played but oddly he wasn't all that upset by it. To keep up appearances, he plastered a pained expression across his muzzle.

"You wound me, Carrots. Right here. Right in my heart."

"Your heart is on the other side, genius," she snickered. Nick quickly slid his paw over before realizing he did indeed already have the correct side. Now outright guffawing, the doe tried to clear all the tears from her eyes. "Jeez Nick. Remind me to sell you this bridge I found. Has a lawn chair and everything."

Nick flicked a french fry into her face.

* * *

For two very small mammals, the precinct had certainly given them a very large cruiser. It would look quite humorous if there wasn't a reason for the size of the vehicle, the main one being so that the back seat could handle larger mammals they might arrest. Another would be that the vehicle would command attention on the road, making sure other drivers would notice them and move out of the way if necessary or pull over if ordered. For Judy it meant simply that she had graduated in the eyes of her boss that she was fit to drive something more befitting of an officer than the meter maid mobile.

She had been allowed to drive several cruisers during the past six months as she worked with different partners in rotation, but those had merely been for training or convenience. It hadn't always gone as smoothly as planned. Delgato was still without his own cruiser after two months since Judy had accidentally forgot to put the parking brake on, the pair watching helplessly as it rolled backwards off an embankment and crashed more than fifty feet below. It still riddled her with guilt whenever he was forced to go out on foot patrol instead of driving himself and his partner around.

Thankfully for Nick, the cruiser was also relatively comfortable. Spending hours trapped in a metal and glass box was not his idea of fun, even if he was getting to ride around Savannah Central in style. While he was never one to turn down a ride over walking, Nick had been itching to do something since lunch. The morning's high of catching multiple perps was wearing off and the desire to experience that adrenaline rush was taking over. He finally understood one of the reasons Judy was always so gung-ho about being out there, patrolling the streets. There really was more than he expected to this job than simply chasing a purse snatcher or a bank robber. It allowed him to use his mind to figure out clues, piecing together fragments of knowledge into a complete picture. To save mammals from others or even perhaps themselves. He was in awe at what he heard over the radio, the cases the other officers were on or the amount of activity at certain arrests. He had thought that going through the tests at the Academy would prepare him for being out on the streets, but they were really a pale shadow of what to expect. Which was fine with him. He lived for the challenge.

The challenge he had been hoping for though was not the one he was given. The only 'challenge' right now was staying awake. Trying to find this street racer had taken them all over the district and most of the day. Nick was not the only one getting frustrated by their unsuccessful hunt. Judy was alternating between gripping the wheel too tightly and revving the engine a little more than was necessary. She needed a distraction and her fox saw something up ahead that would give her just that.

"Carrots stop!" The tires squealed at the sudden use of the brakes. Nick, who had been expecting the whiplash from the sudden stop, was out the door and halfway down the street before she could cry out.

"Nick!" She struggled with her seat belt, cursing the safety feature that locks it in place during a harsh stop. Finally releasing it, she opened her own door to hop out. "Nick, what's happ-...en...ing." Her voice trailed off at the sight of her partner on the sidewalk talking to a very short fox with overly large ears. _Is he...no. No he wouldn't do that._ She slapped a paw to her face. _Of course he would._

"So how's the pawpsicle business going, Fin?" After receiving the usual gruff response to his 'hello', Nick tried to engage his old partner in some friendly banter, trying to gauge how pissed off he might be after discovering Nick had joined the force.

"Not gonna lie to you, Nick. It ain't like the good old days. I'm barely breaking even here." Fin pulled out his meager stack of bills, looking at it with a mixture of loathing and disappointment. "Takes forever to get the jumbo pop, not to mention trying to sell all of these pawpsicles before they melt. Luckily I only do this a couple afternoons each week these days."

"Yeah? You got a different con going? Please don't tell me you've moved onto _actual_ crime." Concerned for his friend, knowing he might have to arrest him if he had gotten into something too deep, Nick was silently praying that Finnick hadn't done something that stupid.

"I ain't doing another con and I ain't doing no crime." Fin looked down at the ground before mumbling just outside Nick's range of hearing.

"Sorry bud, I don't have satellite dishes on top of my head like you do. What was that?" His snarky comment earned him a glare from the small fox.

"Fuck you, Nick. I said I got a job, alright?" The fennec stood a little taller, his stance showing both a small amount of pride and a whole lot of defiance. "I've gone legit. I only do this Monday and Thursday afternoon when I have time off. Just a little bit extra cash I need while I search for an apartment." He was happy with the choice he had made and he'd be damned if he was going to let someone criticize him for it. While he was expecting a smirk or a witty insult to be thrown his way, instead he was given one of Nick Wilde's rare, genuine smiles.

"That's wonderful, Fin. What brought on this change? You always said jobs were for chumps who couldn't handle the streets."

"Bunny cop." Nick looked confused for a second so Finnick waved at the cruiser where Judy was hanging out the door, clearly frustrated at being kept waiting. "Your little cottontail showed up at my stand about six months back. Told me you were at the police academy. That you had actually gone legit. I had already started thinking of going legit, at least a little. Pawpsicles weren't bringing in the cash anymore. So when she showed up, told me what you were doing, well...I figured it was time I stopped living like that too."

"I'm proud of ya, buddy. What are you doing?"

"Short order cook. Don't even, Wilde!" Nick chuckled a bit, his joke dying before it left his lips. "I handle the breakfast run most of the week. Job sucks but the pay is decent. A lot more consistent than these stupid pawpsicles." Nick nodded, understanding all too well on preferring consistency over random chance. "I just thought, you know, maybe it was time I moved on. Get a job, get a place to live. I love my van but eventually a guy's gotta have somewhere to put a couch. I'm not getting any younger, Nick."

"We're the same age, Fin. We went to the same kindergarten."

"Yeah but you've got it good. You played the right cards, took some chances, hell you made a bunny fall in love with your sorry ass. And now you're living your dream I ain't seen from you in over twenty years. I just figured maybe I could too. Find someone real, not the usual one nighters I'm used to. And if I'm gonna do that, I need someplace better than a mattress on the floor of a van." He narrowed his eyes before snapping back to his usual self. "Now you gonna buy a pawpsicle or not?"

A couple minutes later, Nick was approaching the cruiser where his partner was waiting impatiently, a frozen treat in each paw. "Miss me, Carrots?"

"Nick." Judy rubbed a paw over her face, trying to keep her composure with him. "We can't just stop for a chat when we're on patrol. I know he's your friend but it's against regulations. Bogo would hang us by our ankles in the dungeon if he knew."

"We have a _dungeon_?!" Nick's tail started wagging frantically, an excited smile forming immediately. He looked so adorable that the gray rabbit had difficulty bringing herself to crush his dreams.

You know what I mean, Nick. We gotta be more professional. It's up to us t-why are you handing me this?"

"I thought you might like a treat," Nick waived his paw dismissively. "That little bastard charged me ten bucks for mine but he gave me yours for free. What's up with that, Carrots?" He raised his brow speculatively.

"Oh. Well on your first day in the Academy I ran into hi-...Are you just trying to distract me so I'll forget to scold you?"

"That depends. Is it working?" he teased. Getting back on the road, Nick found himself more preoccupied with eating his snack than focusing on the mammals outside of the vehicle. A loud crunch to his side had him looking over at his bunny, his jaw dropping as he observed the now empty popsicle stick. "Hungry were you?"

"What? I have a fast metabolism."

Shaking his head, Nick slowly gnawed on his own. "Are all bunnies bad drivers or is it just you?" A quick slam off the breaks had Nick catapulting forward, smashing his face into the dashboard. Sitting back up, he found to both his embarrassment and amusement that the pawpsicle he had been eating was now stuck over his eye, the sticky treat getting tangled.

"Oops." The smug voice of his partner next to him had him letting out a quick laugh. Yanking the pawpsicle clear, he observed it, checking to see if there was any loose clumps of fur stuck to it making the snack no longer edible. Finding it clean, he gave it a quick lick to soothe his wounded pride.

"Sly bunny," he quipped.

"Dumb fox." The overly cheerful response made him smile, knowing he had taught his bunny well. Perhaps too well.

"You know you love me."

"Do I know that?" The pause made his heart skip. "Yes. Yes I do." A large smile on both of their faces had them reaching and interlocking their paws for a few seconds, the small contact feeling wonderful to the two mammals. It was hard for them to be separated like this. Judy's condition made her desire contact with her mate almost constantly, and after being apart for most of the day for the last six months had been almost hell. Being able to smell his mark and the fact that he was sitting right next to her made it easier, so she would have to live with the small touches they could get away with for now. Nick on the other paw was dealing with his winter mating desires. Contact was almost mandatory to keep himself in check. Going too long had his instincts driving him up the wall and it took everything he had not to make her pull over and drag her into his lap, which he knew would go unopposed, the doe being in much the same state he was. It wouldn't be the first time their impulses would take control regardless of whatever they were doing at the time.

Letting off the brake, Judy began to pull out on the road to head to their next search grid when a red and white blur had her slamming the pedal back down. Glancing at each other in satisfaction, Nick flicked open his shades and slid them on before keying the lights and siren. With a squeal of tires and a fishtail out of the turn, the duo chased the incredibly fast sports car down the road. While Judy was not the safest driver this was actually a good thing. They needed the speed and the maneuvers she was using to catch up to the vehicle that had blown by them at the light. They weren't going to let the street racer get away, not after spending all day looking for him. Luckily the roads were mostly empty, preventing any sort of tragedy during the high speed chase. To their surprise however, the red car pulled over after six blocks. They had been expecting a chase that would last a long time or some fancy maneuvers to try and shake the officers off his trail. While both were relieved it had come to a quick and safe end, they were also slightly disappointed. Hours of searching and it was over in about thirty seconds.

The fox and rabbit hopped down from their cruiser, approaching the car somewhat warily. Stepping up to the window, Judy waited for it to roll down. "Sir, you were going 115 miles per hour, I hope you have a good explanation." As the glass cleared the driver, the pair stared in astonishment as the mystery speedster was a familiar face.

"Flash, Flash, Hundred yard dash!" Nick looked positively giddy while Judy just stood there looking thoroughly confused.

Agonizingly slow, a smile appeared on the sloths face. "...Niiiiick..."

"How ya doin', bud?" Judy frantically yanked her partner away before Flash could answer although he was doing so anyway. "Nick, what did I say about chatting while on patrol? We have to impound his car and arrest him."

"Carrots, we can't do that. He's a really close friend of mine." Judy started to object before Nick cut in quickly, "plus he was a really big help during the missing mammals case. Can't we cut him a break?" The fox looked at her with big eyes and a pouting lip, attempting to match her own 'cuteness overload' weapon she occasionally used on him. It wasn't swaying her, but looking past him to the sloth who was still answering Nick's original question she decided he had a point.

"Alright. But you better give him a ticket. I'll let you take it, rookie." Moving back to the cruiser, Judy wasn't sure how to feel about her decision. On one paw, it was against regulations to let this slide, but on the other, Nick was right. He had been a crucial help during her first case. Without his assistance she never would have been able to continue the investigation which would have resulted in her being fired. And she never would have fallen in love with Nick. So she owed the sloth more than she was willing to admit. She could let him slide this once.

He leaned onto the door and gave his friend a disappointed look. "Flash. Buddy. What are you doing? You were going way too fast."

"I...know...Nick...but I'm...addicted...to...speed...you know...that."

Nick sighed before writing up a ticket. "I have to ticket you, buddy. Sorry Flash but this is the best I can do for you. Normally its an impounded car, 30 days in jail, and a suspended license."

Flash slowly reached out and took the paper, Nick being very patient with his friend. "Thanks...Nick."

"Just keep it around the speed limit, okay bud? I really don't want to have to be the one to pull you over again." With a general wave, Flash pulled out, his speed now much more reasonable. Watching him for a few seconds, Nick eventually shook his head and headed back to the cruiser where his partner had been sitting on the hood, watching to see how he performed. Trying to gauge her reaction was difficult, her face remaining very stoic. Sliding down from the hood, he flinched as he expected another punch to his arm. Instead she grabbed his tie and dragged him down. Lightly pressing their lips together, she held him at eye level.

"You're lucky I love you, rookie."

* * *

Walking through the door of their apartment, both mammals sighed at the feel of being home. Judy loved being an officer, and while she wished she could be one morning, noon, and night, being able to relax with her mate was such a wonderful feeling that she was willing to put her job on hold until the morning. Nick for his part was just plain exhausted. He hadn't expected it to feel quite as draining as this, but reflecting on it he really shouldn't be surprised. The surges of adrenaline he had been experiencing all day had kept his feelings of being overtaxed at bay. Now that the day was over, all the aches and pains were catching up to him. Luckily for the two, they had been let go early for the day.

Chief Bogo was not exactly thrilled that the pair had let the street racer go but after Judy explained how he had been a really big help during the missing mammals case, essentially being one of the reasons she was able to find them at all, he softened and agreed they could give him a pass as long as he committed no other felonies like he had been the past several days. He had been secretly pleased with their performance, even without booking the sloth so he had simply assigned them to finish their reports, change, and go home.

As soon as the two had crossed the threshold, the rabbit had started stalking the unaware vulpine. It had been a long day without being intimate with him and she was more than ready to make up for it. Dropping the duffel bags, Nick moved towards the couch, ready to sit down for a few minutes and relax. He did not notice that he had a shadow creeping up behind him until it was too late. Like a predator herself, Judy leapt at the unprepared fox, clutching his shirt instead of clawing him, attacking his lips with hers instead of going for the throat. She was a predator, but her hunger had nothing to do with food.

Being caught off guard, Nick was stunned motionless for a few seconds before his own desires unleashed upon the young doe. Flipping her easily, his bunny weighing almost nothing to the larger mammal, he pinned her to the couch, attacking her in much the same way. Battling for dominance, they tore at each other's clothes, trying to be the first to disrobe their opponent. Judy had been winning, using Nick's preoccupation with her bare chest to undo his pants when Nick's phone went off. He chose to ignore it until it went off a second time, the text alert coming in rapidly. Cursing under his breath, he grabbed the offending device from the table and opened the message app. The lips he felt on his neck had slowed, becoming tender, inviting him to return to her. He was ready to do so until he read the messages.

_'Got the package.'_

_'I'm leaving soon. Get up here.'_

Letting out a groan, Nick hung his head. _This is so not fair._ Bringing his paw up to his mate's cheek, he stroked it gently. "I'm sorry, Fluff. I have to go for a minute." Torn at her sigh of disappointment, he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. "Trust me, if this wasn't necessary I would be here all night with you." Fastening the button on his pants, he shrugged his t-shirt back on. "I shouldn't be too long. And then maybe we can resume where we left off." Judy simply lay her arm over her eyes and sat back against the arm of the couch. Giving him a vague wave goodbye, he could hear her sigh as he left the apartment. He hated doing this to her but it really was important.

The travel up to the 32nd floor was agonizing. He knew John had no idea what he had interrupted but that didn't make him hate the leopard any less. He pounded on the door a little harder than he meant to. The bear who opened it did not seem to appreciate it either, attempting to intimidate the fox with his glare. Unfortunately for him, after facing multiple larger mammals in the ring and taking down a tiger earlier that morning left him mostly unaffected by the stern look he was getting. He walked past the bear as if he didn't matter, much the way he always had done, and felt no fear he would be stopped. He was a welcomed guest by John, the two's partnership having made him a lot of money over the few years they had known each other.

"Nick, good timing. I was just about to head out." Nick took in the sight of the snow leopard gathering up the briefcase that was always near him at home and on his person when out and about. He was dressed in a simple black button down shirt and slacks, his long tan coat nearly reaching his knees. Whenever asked why he dressed so casually rather then showing his wealth and status when out doing business, he always answered the same way. ' _Those who I want to know me will see me. And those that I don't, won't remember me at all."_ It was his answer to always staying below the radar of the ZPD and other task forces who might try to stop his business. It had been very effective as he had been in business for more than thirty years and had never once been investigated.

"You interrupted something, John. I want you to know that. And my gal is _not_ happy." John looked over in shock at the tone coming from the tod. He had rarely ever heard aggravation in his voice but there it was, plain as day. He was about to respond when he noticed Nick's disheveled appearance, the fur on his head sticking up, his shirt only half tucked in. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he had _'_ interrupted' but frankly he really didn't care.

"Look Nick, I'm sorry I ended your 'playtime' early, but I did a favor for you. I don't want to hear that tone from you again. Understand?" Nick mumbled an apology which seemed to pacify the glaring feline. Pulling an envelope from his desk, he tossed it at the fox. "I managed to get three and three. That's the best I could do."

"That's fine, John. That's really all I needed anyway." Shaking open the package, he slid a wad of cash out. "Four thousand? That's it?! That cost six grand?!"

"Hey you wanted these last minute. That was the cheapest I could find. Took me three hours to track even those down. I didn't even take a cut since it was something you were doing for your gal."

Sighing heavily, Nick slid the cash back inside. "You're right, John. I'm sorry. Thank you for finding these for me. It's gonna make her year I'd wager."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm thrilled, you're thrilled, she's thrilled, Zootopia's thrilled. Now get out, pup. I got things to do." Flipping off the leopard at the 'pup' comment, Nick couldn't help but grin as the leopard laughed behind him. The two were used to trading barbs, neither of them being one to roll over and accept defeat.

Back at the apartment, Nick saw that Judy had not moved very far. Sitting on the couch, her shirt now back on, she was flipping through the channels on the television although not really paying attention to any of them. "Hey, Carrots." A grunt came form the sullen mammal. Put off by her mood, he took a moment to prepare. He was treading dangerous waters and he knew it. It would take careful planning and execution to pull this off. "So I was thinking about what you said at lunch. About the whole concert thing?" Judy's head turned toward him, her eyes wide. "I called in a favor and," he pulled three show tickets from the envelope, "I managed to get a hold of some tickets." Her eyes lit up, her mouth opening wide as she hopped up and down.

"Oh my god, oh my god, OH MY GOD!" She could not stop yelling and hopping around the apartment. Nick prepared himself for the next part of his plan, knowing that this could either go really well, or incredibly bad.

"Yeah, so I thought we could send your parents and Jessica to see the show. You know, kind of a 'last night in Zootopia' kinda thing." At that, Judy stopped her hopping, her face going completely blank. "What do you think, Carrots?"

The disappointment on her face was agonizing and nearly broke Nick into revealing his plan early but he managed to hang on. "Y-yeah...that sounds great, Nick. I'm sure that they, uh, they'd probably love it." The face that had been showing tremendous joy a few seconds earlier was now encompassed in sadness.

"Oh don't be sad, Carrots. We're gonna have a grand time on our own." Judy simply nodded, a barely noticeable movement of her head as she sat back down on the couch. "I mean, who wants to just go to a silly old concert when you could go meet Gazelle herself?" Despite her unmoving posture, Nick could tell her entire body had gone rigid. He waited patiently until her head had slowly rotated to face him. Sliding three more tickets from the envelope, he flashed the front showing the 'VIP Backstage access' printed on the front. He smiled at his mate who sat stoically. A little concerned that he may have overstepped and made her mad, he tried reaching out to here. "Fluff? You alright?" She made no response for a few seconds, then her eyes rolled up and she slumped backward into the couch, out cold.

* * *

"O. M. Goodness. I can't believe we're actually going to meet Gazelle!" For someone as large as Clawhauser, Nick was thoroughly shocked at how fast he could move and how high he could jump. The portly cheetah had been freaking out non-stop since they had arrived. Luckily he had come in his own car because Nick felt if he had been riding with them he probably would have kicked him out.

"Are you sure we should have invited him?" he whispered to his bunny. Judy elbowed him in response.

"Nick, stop it. He's one of my closest friends and most likely the biggest Gazelle fan that exists. It would crush him to find out we went without him."

"Alright, you made your point. I just hope he doesn't trample us trying to reach her first. I mean we could stay back but I know for certain you'll be racing him." He winked down at the blushing doe, finding her enthusiasm at meeting the pop-star extremely cute.

"I'm just excited. That's all. I'm really looking forward to meeting her. I still don't know you pulled it off, but thank you, sweetie."

"Well, here's your chance." The doors backstage were opened and the three mammals were escorted in by security, a tough looking rhino and a particularly fearsome polar bear. Only five tickets had been sold to meet Gazelle in person and the other two were late so they had the star all to themselves for a few minutes. Nick could sense the anticipation rolling off both Ben and Judy and it amused him greatly. He wasn't really impressed with meeting her for certain reasons but he was glad he could do something like this for his mate.

Reaching the bottom of the ramp, the three only had to wait a few seconds before Gazelle stepped from her dressing room, already in costume for the show. She headed their way, a genuine smile on her face when she suddenly stopped, the smile vanishing in exchange for a look of disbelief, her eyes solely focused on the tod. Judy and Ben both looked a little uncertain, wondering what had caused Gazelle to look like she'd seen a ghost when she suddenly ran forward. "Nick!" Wrapping her arms around him, she squeezed him tight. "I can't believe it!"

"H-hey, Amelia." Awkwardly patting her back, he looked thoroughly embarrassed. Chancing a glance at his mate, he saw her standing there, her jaw hanging open as far as he'd ever seen.

For a long time, whenever another female had hung onto her mate, it would fill Judy with an overwhelming desire to attack what her body registered as a rival. It had been increasingly difficult for her to work through it and it still would come back in full force if she was surprised. The shock at seeing an international pop-star, her _favorite_ pop-star, wrapping him up in a tight embrace was so great that her instincts never kicked in. She was sure if it been anyone else it would be it would have, but just the sheer absurdity of what she was seeing was enough to disarm her.

Finally letting him go, Gazelle stepped back, still slightly in shock. "It took you five years to show up, Nick? For shame," she smiled brightly. "You used to be so punctual."

Shaking her head, Judy suddenly found her voice again. "Nick. You know Gazelle?!"

He smiled down at her, his expression smug. "I told you, Carrots. I know everyone."

"Who's this, Nick?" Gazelle was staring down at the rabbit with a kind smile.

"I'm sorry, forgive me." Wrapping his arm around his mate's shoulders, he felt hers encircle his waist. "This is the first rabbit officer of the ZPD, my best friend and mate, Judy Wilde. Judy? This is Amelia."

Bending low, the pop-star reached a hoof down and caught the offered paw of the small lapine. "It's an honor to meet you, Judy. I'm glad Nick found his special someone. And I heard you became an officer as well, Nick, yes?" She had turned to face him, giving him a questioning glance.

"Yeah, but it's all her fault," he laughed, gesturing towards his mate.

Amelia put one knee on the ground and drew the young bunny in to hug her. "Thank you, my dear. I always knew he needed someone to kick his stubborn self in the pants." Judy giggled, a little hysterically, both at the quip and also at being hugged by someone so famous that she admired. Standing once more, she turned to the last member of their group. "And who is this dashing boy in blue?" Clawhauser, having heard about the invite almost too late, had not had time to change outfits. He was still in his officer's uniform, complete with badge.

"This would be our friend Officer Ben Clawhauser. ZPD dispatcher and probably your biggest fan in the entire world," rattled off Nick. He smirked at the frozen expression on the cheetah's face. "He also appears to be catatonic at the moment."

The entire time they had been talking, Clawhauser hadn't moved an inch. It was almost disturbing how wide his eyes had become and the permanent smile that had been etched onto his face. Everyone in the precinct had been exposed to the overwhelming love Ben had for Gazelle, prisoners included. He constantly had memorabilia scattered over his desk and several signed pictures he had bought online tacked to the wall. It had been no secret that the thing he desired most in the world was a chance to meet the famous singer. Now that he had that opportunity however, he was unable to handle the excitement.

Amelia did not seem to be fazed, rather she merely giggled. It was not her first time being around a starstruck fan, though he seemed to be more affected than she had seen before. Stepping up to him she reached down and grabbed his paw with her hoof. "It's very nice to meet you, Benjamin." At the sound of his name, Clawhauser snapped back to reality. There in front of him was the most wonderful singer in the world. Not only that, but he suddenly found his paw being held by her. Words failed him for only a moment before he let out a high pitched squeal.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. You're Gazelle. You're really Gazelle. Oh my god. I'm your biggest fan! I can't believe I'm meeting you! I can't believe I'm still talking. I'm just embarrassing myself now. This is awkward. But you're Gazelle! And you're shaking my paw! I...I..." Eyes rolling in the back of his head, Clawhauser started to sway. Nick snagged a chair that had been over to the side of the hall and slipped it under his rear before Ben hit the floor.

"Is he alright?" Amelia was very concerned. She had had a few fainters when meeting her and she knew it could be a serious thing especially if they hit their head on the way down. Nick's quick thinking had saved him from a possible injury which she was very grateful for. The last thing she wanted was to be the cause of someone getting hurt.

"He'll be fine. See, he's already coming around." Nick clapped a paw on the big mammal's shoulder. "You okay there big guy?" The cheetah was out of breath so raised his paw giving them a thumbs up while he struggled to fully come around. "You just stay there for a bit. We got time. Amelia's not going anywhere, right?"

She smiled at Nick before turning to Clawhauser. "Don't worry, Benjamin. The concert does not start for a while and I'm more than happy to stay and chat with you and Judy and Nick."

Judy meanwhile had been recovering from her own idol worship. "So, um, Gaz- I mean _Amelia,"_ Judy couldn't keep eye contact with the beautiful mammal, now not only knowing her real name but being able to talk to her. "How do you know my Nick?" She couldn't help but put a small emphasis on the 'my', reminding the pop-star that even though she's a famous singer, this fox was hers.

A look of nostalgia came over Amelia's face. "Boy that was a long time ago. Nick is actually the reason I am so successful."

"No way!" Judy glanced up at her mate only to see him shrug, a small smile on his muzzle. She turned back as Amelia began going into detail.

"About five years ago I was relatively poor. I had never been very good at regular jobs. I'm ashamed to say I just wasn't very driven to work. I was always more concerned with my music, with my creativity and passion for it. So I tried to find a way to support myself while doing what I loved. Unfortunately there are only two ways to make money with music. Perform professionally or not." She gave the vulpine a sad smile. "I set up outside of cafes and played my guitar and sang my songs."

"You were a street performer?" Judy's eyes became wide, entranced by the story. To their right Clawhauser also sat, mystified by what he was hearing which was probably the rarest Gazelle story he would ever hear.

"Yes. It wasn't exactly a high point in my life but I did what I could. It didn't really bring in much for a living, but at least it would feed and house me which was enough for me back then. One day, I was doing the same thing I had ever done. I would sit down, open my guitar case and lay it at my feet. My acoustic guitar meant a lot to me. It was a present from my parents when I graduated high school. I still have it," she said wistfully. "I'd sit and play for an hour, maybe two. Trying out my new songs for any who stopped to listen. It wasn't important how many I would draw in, whether it was twenty adults willing to toss some change in my case or a small child who didn't have a cent to spare. As long as they enjoyed my music it was more than enough for me. This day went differently. Someone came along that was about to change my life, though I didn't know it at first. I'm sure you've experienced it yourself, Judy. A sneaky old fox comes along and messes with your life."

Grabbing her fox's paw, Judy smiled broadly. "Don't I know it. Insufferable old tod, ain't he?"

"You chose well, Nick. Finding someone who can keep you and your cheeky self in check." Amelia winked at the doe who fought hard not to blush. "So anyway, this fox comes along who I can only assume is up to no good. Now I don't say that because he was a fox, I say that because he had a certain grin on his face that reeked of slyness. The way he was eyeing me was also a little disconcerting. It took me nearly a minute to realize he was also carrying a guitar case which he opened to reveal a beat up and battered acoustic. I thought he was going to try and steal my spot, maybe play some more modern music to force me out, but instead he simply sat and listened for a few minutes. And then he strummed that damaged guitar and the most beautiful sound came from it."

She stopped for a minute to grab a bottle of water from one of the staff standing nearby. Offering some to the rest of the group, they each were given a bottle which they gratefully sipped from, the talking and dry air of the hallway parching their throats. "Before I knew it he was playing my song, note for note, keeping in perfect sync with me. On one hoof I was impressed. He was a very good player and we complimented each other's talent. On the other however, I was a bit envious and also angry. I spent a month perfecting those songs and he was able to play it complete after just a few minutes which spoke volumes about his ability. He never tried to take the lead, always sitting backup. I never really figured that one out."

Looking slightly pained, Nick chimed in. "That part's simple. Nobody trusts a fox. They don't want to help one either. It's pretty much the truth, Carrots," he told his mate, her questioning gaze mixed with sorrow. "I had actually set up a couple blocks over from where Amelia was. This was one of those times where I was trying to make money before resorting to conning. Well, again anyways. But after an hour of being ignored by everyone I decided to pack up and head...home." Judy noticed the same hesitation in his voice from when he had spoken about being in Sahara Square during a sandstorm, knowing that he was referring to being homeless once more but in a way he didn't want others to know. "Anyways I caught the sound of strings and a beautiful voice coming from around the corner and decided to investigate. I'd seen other street performers but this one, she radiated something special. Something unique. She sung about hope and dreams where others were mired in their own self pity. I saw a way to mutually benefit each other and so I set up in the back, knowing that no one would even pretend to listen to a fox, regardless of the accompaniment."

"Well, whatever it was, it worked wonderfully." Amelia sent him a smile, gratitude emanating from it in waves. "We brought in many mammals throughtout the day, all stopping to listen to our playing. In the end we had made quite enough money to get by. I offered half of it to Nick since we had worked well together. But when I turned back around, he had gone, a measly six dollars missing from the case."

Violet met brilliant green as Judy stared into her mate's eyes. "Why only six dollars?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It was the price of a sandwich and a bottle of water." She looked at him, stupefied.

"That's _it_?! You worked for hours and took only enough to get a cheap meal?" Judy was astounded by her fox. He had been homeless, probably had very little in the way of clothing. No money, and he had simply done it all for one meal. Probably his only meal of the day.

"She needed it more than I did, Fluff."

"I beg to differ, Nick." Amelia placed a hoof on his shoulder. "I could see every day that you deserved and _needed_ more than you were allowing yourself. But you never did." She turned back to Judy and Ben, their attention never wavering. "Every day he would meet up with me, regardless of where I went he would find me. It became our thing. We would play for most of the day, moving to different locations if necessary. And at the end of each day, Nick would help himself to enough for a simple sandwich and a bottle of water. After about two months, we had made enough money to at least live comfortably if we stuck to basic expenses, but again he wouldn't take the money. No matter how much I pleaded with him, he would simply smirk, pack up his guitar, and head off. And then one day a jaguar in a suit came out of one of the the coffee shops we were playing at and he approached me. Turns out he was with a record company and wanted to sign me. I remember being so excited. I turned to Nick to tell him the good news and invite him with me, hoping we could get signed together only to see him standing there, case already on his back. He winked at me, gave me a lazy salute, and disappeared into the crowd. When I went to gather my own guitar to go speak with the jaguar, I found just six dollars missing from the case."

Judy was misty eyed, trying not to cry in front of her idol but slowly failing. She buried her face into Nick's side, squeezing him tightly. "Even after all this time together you are still showing me there are so many more sides of you." It would have been a very sweet moment if it wasn't for Clawhauser off to the side bawling his eyes out.

Cries of 'Gazelle! Gazelle! Gazelle!' came through the doors to the right. Suddenly looking sheepish, Amelia looked somewhat sad. "I'm so sorry. I need to go, the concert is starting soon." Leaning in, she put her hoof on Nick's shoulder. "Please get in touch with me again, Nick. I'd love to get together some time." She turned and knelt in front of Judy, wrapping her in a big hug. "And you make sure to join us, Judy." Leaning in a little closer she dropped her voice. "And keep an eye on our favorite fox," she whispered, giving her a wink. Overwhelmed, the gray bunny could only nod, her face frozen in a perpetual smile. "And Benjamin," she cooed, turning her gaze to the officer who suddenly looked petrified. "You are more than welcome to join them as well. I always like to see my fans but if Nick can count you a friend then I'd like to count you one as well." She leaned down and pecked the cheetah on the cheek. "Maybe eventually you'll be able get over the whole 'star' thing," she giggled. "I really am just a normal mammal." With one last smile towards the group, she headed out towards the stage entrance.

"C'mon Carrots. Let's get out to the floor. Ben, you coming? Ben? BEN!"

* * *

"I messed up tonight, I lost another fight!" Nick smiled as he was following his bunny to the parking lot watching her jump up and down singing at the top of her lungs. Spinning around, she danced over to the amused tod and leapt into his arms. Now carrying her bridal style, he felt content at holding her so close. Of course, rather than calming down, it only seemed to make Judy even more excited. "Oh my god, Nick. That was so amazing! First we got to meet her, then we got to see her perform!"

Nick had to admit, it had been a pretty nice evening. Not only had he reconnected with an old friend but watching Judy have such a fun night made him feel all warm in his chest. They had also been given a shout-out by Amelia, getting the crowd to applaud for the 'Heroes of Zootopia' and pointed out multiple ZPD officers in the crowd as well, giving them special recognition for their service. It had been rather amusing for Nick to see Chief Bogo standing in the crowd, nearly as starstruck as Clawhauser had been. Judy had forbid him from videotaping him acting like a fool though, wanting Nick to spend the evening with her and not his phone, a choice easily made as they danced the entire concert. He wasn't a fantastic dancer but after his mate had hip-bumped him he decided to humor her, eventually finding it rather fun to move around to the music.

About to get into another verse of the song, Judy caught sight of her parents heading out into the parking lot. "C'mon, Nick! Let's go see how they enjoyed the show." Grabbing him buy his tie, the vulpine had to bend over awkwardly and practically run to stay near the overzealous rabbit for fear of being strangled by her strong grip. Streaming up the her blue car she had loaned to her family, Judy skidded to a sudden stop catching Nick off guard, his mass carrying him into the car at a decent speed. With a loud _thunk_ Nick bounced off the Blueberry as he had named the car and fell to the ground, groaning slightly. Ignoring his antics, the doe began talking rapidly to her parents about the concert.

Nick was only catching every third word of the conversation but they appeared to all have had fun. Nick had forgotten that Jessica had come as well until he felt two paws helping him to sit up. "You okay, Nick?"

"Yeah, I should be." Patting himself down, he then checked his pockets. "Nothing broken, phone still there, wallet-" he slyly looked over at his bunny, her attention now on him, "forgot it in my other pants," he teased. Rolling her eyes at him, Judy turned back to her parents, although now with a smile she was desperately trying to conceal. "So did you enjoy the concert?" he asked Judy's littermate.

"Yeah, it was really fun. I'm not quite as big a fan of Gazelle as Judy is, but I'm right up there. Getting to see her live was a really nice surprise for the trip, thank you. Even mom and dad were dancing." They looked over at her parents, noticing that Stu was in the same overalls and wearing the same hat as when Nick had met him.

"I'm sure they blended right in," he chuckled. "So where you off to now? Back to the hotel?"

Jessica looked down, casually dragging her foot along the tar. "I...do you think that you and Judy could um...take me to see some sights? We leave in the morning and I haven't really gotten to see much. I just figured we could go for a walk and see the city." Nick could tell she had been working up the courage to talk about it when her expression suddenly changed to one of panic. "I mean...never mind, it's okay. I'll see it another time. I don't want to cause a problem. I know you have to work in the mor-"

"Jessica!" Gaining her attention and placing a paw on her shoulder, Nick spoke calmly. "It's not a big deal. We'd love to take you around for a bit tonight. What do you think, Carrots?" Turning towards his gray bunny, he gave her the sad look he had perfected after having her use it on him so many times. "Can we take Jessica for a walk to see some of Zootopia's night life before she goes back to the hotel?"

Tapping her chin, Judy eventually shrugged. "I don't see why not. Have to have her back to the hotel by midnight though. We'd have to walk back to get the car and get home. We gotta be at the precinct by 7:30."

"Jessica, don't you think that might be a little...dangerous?" Stu had a great amount of concern in his voice, fearing for his daughter who knew nothing of the city.

"Oh Stu." Bonnie gave him a light smack on his arm. "She'll be with two police officers. How much safer could she get?" A dawning realization crept upon the older buck's face before he became embarrassed. "Go on, Jessica. Just make sure to be back at the hotel at a reasonable hour."

"Okay mom, bye!" Jessica took off at a run for the edge of the parking lot, leaving her the two behind. Rolling her eyes, Judy took off after her. Nick simply hung his head, sighed, and walked after the pair.

When you're walking at night through Savannah Central, the once bustling district becomes much quieter. There are still mammals of the nocturnal persuasion out and about as well as those who have needed to adapt to take night shifts, but it's normally relatively quiet. After a major public event however, like a concert in the center of the city, it becomes less so. Many mammals were wandering around, talking about the show and what they liked most or what the major problem was or how crowded it had been. Smartly, many stores and restaurants would stay open on nights like these, catching the concert goers at their most vulnerable. It was quite common to see them packed to capacity with several groups waiting insanely long times to get in for a late dinner. Bars were especially rowdy. Judy had needed to take several calls the last time the Tundratown Glaciers were in town to play.

Having eaten earlier, Nick, Judy, and Jessica did not need to try and get seated at a restaurant, nor were any of them looking to consume any alcohol, at least Nick wasn't until he got back the apartment. Judy wouldn't have minded stopping by the 10-7 to see Trisha for a bit but Jessica would not be allowed in so that plan was shot down. Instead they merely walked around the district seeing as much as they could fit in to their limited time table. It was a rather massive city that would require days to actually travel on foot so they kept themselves between the concert stage and Jessica's hotel. There was still plenty to see however. They showed off the ZPD precinct where they both worked, even stepping inside to say hi to the night shift dispatcher, a rather grumpy Oryx named Roger. It was well known that on slow nights the officers would call in just to tick him off by repeating 'Roger' over and over. They also visited several parks, showing off the various statues of famous mammals. It was rather tame but without a car the group was kept from some of their favorite destinations.

Promising to give Jessica a proper tour of everything the next time she was up, the trio headed back to the hotel. It wasn't a long walk but they had been getting tired and so it seemed much further away than originally thought. Rounding the corner, Nick smacked into something around knee height, causing him to stumble. "Watch where you're going moron or I'll bite your face off!" The deep voice was coming from the ground where a small fox was splayed out on the sidewalk, a torn bag filled with groceries laying next to him. A few things of fruit had started to roll away, Nick quickly bending down to grab them.

"Here you go, bud."

Two giant ears flicked towards the sound of his voice before the mammal raised his head. "Nick? Oh you are lucky I don't have my bat here with me. I'd knock those kneecaps around real good." Judy, looking shocked, addressed him in a low voice, her tone bordering on angry.

"Finnick. You just threatened a cop! I know he's your friend but still, you need to be more careful. If another officer heard that you could get in trouble."

Finnick scoffed. "Oh lighten up, Bunny Cop."

"Hey!" Jessica stepped forward and stood over the tiny fox, the size difference seeming daunting. "Don't talk to my sister that way, _short stack._ "

Finnick, originally looking bored took a hard look at Jessica before turning back to Judy. Another glance between the two suddenly had him smiling. "Bunny Cop has a twin and you're getting them both, Nick? Oh man, I am so proud of you." The two does blushed heavily, with Judy also looking very pissed. Quickly trying to defuse the situation, Nick jumped in.

"You know that's not how it works, Fin."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just bustin' your chops. Trying to get a rise out of Bunny Cop here. Looks like I succeeded," he said, a smirk on his face at the sight of Judy clenching her paws extremely tight. Gathering her up in his arms, Nick tried to calm her down.

The entire situation was not lost on Jessica who decided to jump in against the fennec. "Oh look Judy. I didn't know foxes came in fun size." Hearing a hiccup from Nick's arms, Jessica could tell her sister was smiling.

Finnick narrowed his eyes at the new doe. "You better watch your mouth, _cottontail._ "

"Are those ears for hearing or flapping and flying away, small fry?"

"You're one to talk. You get satellite radio with those antennas, string bean?"

"Midget!"

"Country bumpkin!"

"Half-pint!"

"Fluff-butt!"

"Pipsqueak!"

The two mammals were staring daggers at each other, the tension as thick as a brick wall. Nick could see the hatred in their eyes, each of them daring the other to make the next move. Hoping it wouldn't come to blows, Nick moved ahead, still cradling Judy in his arms. "C'mon Jessica. We gotta get you to the hotel. Finnick, why don't you head to your van. I think I saw it up about three blocks from here, yeah?"

Casting one more glare towards the second gray bunny, Finnick looked back at Nick and flipped him off. The red fox chuckled and started moving away. The young doe trailed behind, her feet angrily stomping the ground. _The nerve of that asshole. I should go find him and shove my foot up underneath his tail. Teach him to mess with a a Hopps._ Instead, she followed the two to the lobby of her hotel.

Bidding them a good night, Jessica headed to the elevator and eventually let herself into the shared room she had with her parents. Seeing them already asleep, she got herself ready for bed and laid down. After nearly an hour of staring at the ceiling though, she knew something was wrong. She expected her anger to dissipate once she began to relax but instead the fire started to burn even hotter. Jessica was pissed and she didn't understand why she felt so strongly about it. Maybe because he insinuated that Jessica would try to harm her sister's relationship, or the fact that he insulted her. Whatever it was, it was not going away. _I need to do something about this._

Sliding out of bed, she redressed and slipped out the door, careful not to wake her parents. Making her way to the lobby, she noticed how ghost-like the halls were. It was very late, almost one in the morning, so she did not expect to see anyone around, but it still seemed very creepy, almost like one of the horror movies she used to watch. The hotel was deserted save for a few staff at the front desk and the security guard asleep in a chair. Coming to the main entrance, Jessica debated with herself if this was the wisest course of action, but her anger would not be denied. Striding out into the city, she turned left and headed back the way they had come.

* * *

"I still don't see why Buffalo Butt has to make us come in so early. Crime starts at mid-morning too, you know."

Listening to her fox complain had Judy shaking her head, a small smile forming. She knew he was just complaining to complain. It was one of his traits that she found both endearing and infuriating almost at the same time which made for some very interesting conversations. "You know why, Nick. We went through this on the drive in yesterday. Now, it's your second day so you need to make a good impression."

Not taking his eyes off the road, Nick downshifted while making their way through the streets. "I thought it only mattered for first impressions."

"Nick," rolling her eyes, she scowled at her mate. "Every impression is important. Make a bad one and we could end up on parking duty. And trust me. you do _not_ want be on parking duty."

"I don't know. I thought you were a pretty cute meter maid." He flashed his teeth in a wide smile. Blushing, Judy elbowed him softly in the side.

"Don't abuse your privilege Mr. Wilde." Nick was about to respond when Judy suddenly let out a gasp and pointed down the street. "Nick! It's Jessica!" The tod immediately pulled over before they got out and headed towards the struggling bunny.

Using one hand to hold onto the wall, the doe was nearly bent over, her other arm clutching her side and stomach. She staggered down the road, her ears flopped over her face which was exhibiting a pained expression. Her clothes were torn in several places. She looked like she had been in a nasty fight. There wasn't any blood showing so either she won or she was left after being beaten.

"Jessica! What happened?!" Judy had caught up to her sister and grabbed her elbow to steady her as she lowered her down to the sidewalk. "Just rest, sis." She looked up to Nick in alarm who was studying Jessica with a somber look. "Are you okay?"

Jessica tried to smile but grimaced from the pain. "I think I'm okay, yeah. Just hurts. Like a lot. I think Finnick is worse off though." With a surprised look, the two cops glanced at each other.

"Why would Finnick be hurt?" Concerned, the fox knelt down to look the other rabbit in the eye.

"I...was upset last night after me and him were shouting at each other. So I...left the hotel and tracked him down. I was gonna teach him not to mess with a Hopps." She smiled grimly. "I taught him _good._ "

Jumping to his feet, Nick started running for where he had seen Finnick's van last, hoping he wasn't severely injured, but if fighting Jessica was anything like fighting Judy he knew he very well could be. Spotting the familiar van with it's ridiculous mural on the side, Nick ran to the back and threw open the doors, expecting to see his friend hurt or worse. A giant waft of the smell of fox and rabbit came flying out of the van making him nearly gag at how strong it was. He heard a cry from a bundle of blankets near the center of the floor.

"Go away bunny! I can't do this anymore!"

"Fin?"

"Nick?! Oh thank god." Pulling himself from the blankets, Finnick crawled out onto the floor, looking half dead but there was no bleeding which helped calm down the red fox considerably. "Bunny Cop's sister is ridiculous."

"Fin, what the hell happened? And where are your clothes?" Nick was starting to get a better idea of what had happened and it wasn't making a pretty picture inside his head. The scent he had caught made much more sense in that context but he wasn't sure he really wanted to hear it.

"Little miss long ear showed up about one o'clock, speaking of which, what time is it now?"

"7:00."

"Holy hell. six hours? Damn. No wonder I feel like shit. Anyway, she shows up, yelling at me like no tomorrow. I ain't gonna be pushed around so I start it back with her. We got heated to where we both thought it would come to blows." He paused, almost letting the corners of his mouth quirk up, which did not go unnoticed by Nick who raised a brow. "Instead she launched herself at me."

"Launched?"

"The damn bunny locked her hips around me and went crazy. I can see why you like Bunny Cop so much, now. Those rabbits are just animals in the sack. She ripped my shirt off and threw it over there. Then she ripped my pants off and threw it over there. Before I knew it we were going at it as if our lives depended on it. But six hours...damn bunny is insatiable."

Nick was simply standing there stunned. He was having trouble processing what he just heard, both due to the absurdity and almost sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. _Carrots is not going to like this._

_"_ Uh, Nick. I wanted to ask you...is there a reason I can't stop smelling her? I mean besides the scents she was giving off in here." Nick drew in a breath, trying to avoid the overpowering scent lingering from the... _activities_ from earlier. It took a bit of effort but he caught a vague smell slightly stronger than the rest and coming from Finnicks head. Nick started laughing causing the fennec to widen his eyes. If it was making Nick laugh it was not going to be good for him.

"I think she chinned you, buddy."

"What?! Da fuck is that?" Snickering, the tod tried to control himself but failed miserably.

"It's their version of marking. Although it's not as serious as the way mine is. Kinda the same as yours. Maybe 'temporary mate' status. Carrots' is different because she went through the ceremony so it's meaning is stronger but she basically marked you as her boyfriend." The grin would not fade and he sorta felt bad for the small fennec, although not very much. Finnick simply lay back and closed his eyes. Nick was slightly concerned at his behavior. "Aren't you mad?"

"Too tired," came the exhausted voice. "I'll be mad tomorrow."

_**Back at the hotel lobby...** _

"You slept with Finnick?!" Judy was beside herself in shock. After getting her into the lobby, she quickly sat her sister down and checked for injuries. She wasn't able to find any so she asked what had actually happened. The answer was not what she was expecting.

"Oh yeah. Many, _many_ times. I tell you that little fox has the stamina of a teenage bunny but I eventually broke him." She rubbed her stomach gently. "Pretty sure he 'broke' me too though. For a little guy he sure has a giant-"

"JESSICA!"


	21. Chapter 25 - A New Point of View

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this time we're going off the rails a bit. We're gonna explore Tammy and Lylah's growing relationship from their perspective. It's intense and fast and I hope you enjoy it because there will be more of these types of swaps in the future.
> 
> Disclaimer: Tried to arm wrestle Gaston for an exclusive walkthrough of the Disney vault where I would steal Zootopia. His song stated his eats 5 dozen eggs to be strong so I ate 6 dozen to beat him. You ever eat 6 dozen eggs then walk through a crowded amusement park during a hot day? I didn't make it 200 feet past the entrance.

There are many words to describe pain. Words that try to express what cannot be expressed. That try to explain the unexplainable. Only those who experience it can truly understand the insurmountable foe they are faced with. One such mammal was a waking tigress, struggling to climb off of a threadbare couch.

Cursing under her breath, Lylah finally managed to roll herself off the worn cushions, the faded piece of furniture having been her temporary bedding situation the past week. Stretching her arms up and above her head felt as if the muscles in her shoulder blades were on fire. A severe crick in her neck prevented her from being able to turn her head left, and trying to rotate her torso side to side resulted in several spasms down her lower back. It was not the most comfortable of conditions. In fact it was downright dreadful, but it was free and right now she couldn't afford to turn down free. She did know that it would need to end soon though. The past several nights had been so agonizing that sleep alluded her at every turn. Catching only a few hours each night at most was not the best way to greet the morning, especially when one was pinning a brass shield to their chest.

Gathering the pillows she had used to try and counter the sinking cushions, Lylah deposited them back into the chest next to the bookshelves along the wall. The sheet would need to be washed, the large cat having shed multiple hairs over the course of the night. Tossing it and some of her dirty laundry into a basket, Lylah carried it over to the washing machine, intent on taking care of it herself when her phone's alarm went off. Groaning at the horrendous and unwelcome noise did not have the effect she desired of shutting the infernal device up unfortunately. Instead she had to sluggishly move back to the coffee table in front of the couch and key the alarm dismissal. Blissful silence followed that simple flick of a claw. Shaking her head to try and clear the cobwebs out did very little to help her wake up. After five days of this, she knew it wouldn't help her at all but it never hurt to try. It did force her head to turn rapidly, cracking the vertebrae back in place. It was painful but at least she could now turn her head properly.

Her body demanded coffee. It was the life blood of every officer and was necessary to begin the day though she often found it very bitter and hard to stomach without adding a fair amount of cream. Before she would be able to indulge her own cravings of the addictive toxin known as caffeine however, there was one thing she needed to do above all others after sleeping the night away on an old, musty couch.

Grabbing a towel, her underclothes, and a fresh uniform, Lylah made her way up the stairs and entered the main part of the house. Five in the morning really was too early for most mammals to be up so she had the house mostly to herself for a little while. The tigress carefully moved along the hallway, retracting her hind claws so as not to let them scrape along the hardwood flooring. Lylah shook her head for the millionth time. She knew her mother hated carpet because of fur shedding, but it was so much better for the paws to walk on something soft once in a while. It was no use arguing her point though. She and her mother had discussed it to death and she knew that it would never change her mind.

Treating the hallway like one of her tactical training scenarios, Lylah moved silently from doorway to doorway, her large paws not making a sound. Peering around each entrance, her paw clenched around a non-existent pistol, the officer made sure each room was clear before moving on to the next. Reaching the final doorway at the end of the hall, she gently grasped the knob and turned, trying to maintain the silence she existed in. With a soft scrape that was barely noticeable even to the big cat, the door swung open gently. Placing a paw against the wood, she shoved it open before jumping back against the outer wall. Cautiously moving her head around, Lylah swept the room with the flashlight made from her bundled clothes and towel. Satisfied it was clear, she proceeded inside and shut the door. Dropping the clothes and towel onto a stool next to the wall, Lylah reached into the shower and turned the handles, a cold spray of water releasing from the shower head before gradually warming.

Undressing, Lylah thought back to how absurd her little performance out there must look if someone other than a fellow cop had seen her. But she really didn't care. The exercise she, Nick, and her other graduating classmates had gone through their first month in drove home the necessity for clearing a room from hostile targets. She had spent every morning following this same ritual at home and even for the last several months at the Academy, although there she would utilize the actual training course. She'd be damned if she was going to be the reason that another officer or herself were ever taken down because of her inability to follow procedure.

Pushing her paw inside to test the water resulted in a quick hiss from the feline, the spray still being far too cold for her liking. Adjusting the knobs, Lylah soon got the temperature where she preferred. It may be a myth that big cats are afraid of water or hate it, but she didn't know anyone who enjoyed being in a cold shower. Careful to not get the water outside of the curtain, the tigress stepped in quickly, plunging her body into the now hot waterfall above her. One of the few benefits of living here was being able to fully enjoy a proper sized shower again. During the last week of the Academy the showers for the larger sized mammals such as herself had broken. It had been suspicious since it was only those sizes that were down but nobody could find anything that would point to a saboteur. Lylah had her suspicions that Nick had been involved but she had nothing to go on besides an incredibly smug look on his face while he watched Chad squat on the floor to use a wolf-sized shower. She herself had settled for the extra large mammal ones, something she regretted instantly, the incredibly strong pressure designed for cleaning off rhinos and elephants being more than she could handle.

Rubbing the shoulder she had injured on Tuesday, Lylah let the hot water run over it, trying to ease the pain. It had been a humbling experience that left her with with a bruised ego along with her shoulder. They were chasing down a rhino they had caught trying to boost a car. The mammal wasn't overly fast, in fact the two felines had caught up to him barely twenty steps in. However he was incredibly strong. When her partner Tammy had tried to talk him into surrendering, the brute had lashed out at her. This didn't sit well with the tigress who took it upon herself to tackle the large mammal to the ground. Unfortunately her weight was barely felt by him and he simply grabbed her, pulled her off of him, and threw her into the side of a dumpster. Luckily Tammy got off a few tranqs causing the perp to keel over. Lylah spent the next hour in the ER being examined, her tough girl act to impress the cheetah having backfired miserably.

Lylah wasn't going to pretend that there _might_ be something between the two felines. She was already head over paws for this girl and the intensity of it was both frightening and exhilarating. She had been on very few dates before, her specific attraction being ridiculously rare to find, but none of them seemed to have that certain spark. But Tammy...she made her feel something different. It was like a warmth that spread from her chest throughout her entire body. The mere thought of sitting next to her in the Bullpen being enough to make her giddy. The incident Monday morning in the parking garage hadn't been repeated but they were both very affectionate with each other, always stealing a few light touches or accidental brushes against the other's tail. She wasn't sure if Tammy felt the exact same way, she wasn't inside her head after all, but if her attitude was anything to go by, she definitely was interested in making it something much more.

Taking her shampoo and lathering her fur up heavily, Lylah spent a bit more time on her head and tail than she normally did, avoiding her chest and lower regions as much as possible. Thinking about Tammy had gotten her a little flustered and the last time she had let her feelings and fantasies take over it had been a little too intense. She had nearly been late for work and she needed to leave the bathroom window open to air it out. Luckily she was using the guest bathroom so her mother and new husband Bob had not ventured in.

Having been in there long enough for the water to start turning cold, Lylah finally relented and thoroughly rinsed her fur before getting out. While she loved her new job as a cop, she also was still a mammal and most mammals the she knew would stay in the hot water all day long if they could get away with it. Toweling off was always a chore for her, so getting dry took a short while. Her tail was extremely uncooperative. It would constantly flick itself around whenever she tried to grab it and she would foolishly chase it before latching onto the base of her tail and sliding her paw up to hold it still. Why she never thought to start with that method was a mystery but she had a sneaky suspicion her subconscious just loved playing games with her own tail, something she thought she had outgrown as she got older.

Freshly washed, she picked up a brush and dragged it through her fur. A little disgusted at the amount of shed fur coming away with each stroke, she was at least relieved she didn't need to lick herself clean. Many feline species had long ago abandoned the idea of self-cleaning due to hairballs becoming less and less pleasant in society, instead favoring regular grooming methods such as brushing or shedding vacuums. Lylah had tried one of the vacuums and found it to be a rather pleasant device but extremely expensive. Nowadays, cats only would lick to clean mates or children in a social grooming aspect, or sometimes in foreplay. _I'd love to get my tongue on Tamm-Ah ah ah! Stop that!_

_You know you wan-_

_No! Bad kitty!_

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, or at least to clear away any thoughts that would be a distraction, Lylah quickly dressed in her uniform. A simple blue shirt and trousers wouldn't seem like much but Lylah treated the uniform with great care at all times. She liked how it made her look. She couldn't imagine being in something like Judy would wear, the tight form-fitting suit wouldn't accentuate the right curves on her. _But on Tammy,_ she licked her lips, _what I wouldn't give to see Tammy in tha-Ah ah ah! No! Bad kitty!_ Pinning her badge to her chest, the tigress turned left and right, admiring the way the brass shined. Spending a few seconds longer than was necessary, Lylah attempted to straighten the shield to be absolutely perfect even if it would slip to the side as soon as she started walking. Finally satisfied with her appearance, she left the bathroom and headed back towards the kitchen to make a quick breakfast. As she got closer a strong smell of eggs and toast let her know that her mother was already awake, the time having slipped away from her while in the shower.

"Morning mom." Striding up to the aging tigress standing at the stove, she gave her a peck on the cheek before grabbing herself a glass and heading to the fridge. Mulling over her options, she eventually reached in and poured herself a glass of orange juice, forgetting that her mother always bought the kind with pulp which she despised. Not wanting to waste it, the glass was tipped into her mouth and drained in one quick gulp, a vain attempt to bypass the disgusting taste.

"Morning sweetie." Her mother gave her an anxious look. "Sleep okay? I noticed you've been looking a little pained in the morning."

"Nah. I'm fine, mom. Just too much running yesterday. Need to stretch better." She didn't like lying to her mother but since they hadn't been expecting her to room with them there wasn't another bedroom in the house, her old room having been turned into an office for her mother's real estate business. She was rather successful at it and Lylah didn't want to be a reason it might hurt her performance. "Morning Bob," she called to her mother's husband, a moose sitting at the table, newspaper in hoof.

"Morning little girl." The young tigress flinched at the greeting. It had been something Bob had called her for the past five years and continued to do so even after being asked politely to stop. It wasn't done maliciously but it was still aggravating.

"Bob. I like you. I really do. You make my mom happy and I'm thrilled you guys finally got married a few months ago. But please, _please_ stop calling me a little girl. I'm 22. I was 17 when we first met and I wasn't a little girl then either. It's been five years, Bob. Don't make me plant some evidence so I can arrest you." She gave him a friendly smirk to let him know she was kidding about the last part.

Bob spent a few seconds just staring at her before smiling. "I can do that."

"You will?!" Lylah was ecstatic. It may have taken five years but finally he was going to stop treating her like a kid.

"Of course kiddo." The moose's smile had turned evil in her opinion.

"I've changed my mind, Bob. I don't like you at all." He laughed heartily at that, Lylah eventually joining in.

"Anything for breakfast, hon?" The younger tigress reached past her mother and snagged a piece of toast.

"This will do. I'm gonna grab a coffee near the station and probably a pastry." Checking her phone she blanched. "Crap. I gotta go or I'm gonna miss the bus. Love ya mom." Giving her a quick kiss, she headed out the door. "See ya, Bob."

"Bye hon."

"Bye kiddo."

"Shut it, Bob!" Lylah flipped him off as she walked out the door. Now all she had to do was make the bus.

* * *

 _I gotta get a car._ One of the worst things about living with her mother again was not the horrendous couch in the basement or Bob annoying her in the morning. No, the worst thing was how in the middle of nowhere they were. The nearest bus stop was a mile and a half away. Having left later than she would have liked, she was forced to run the whole way. _Thank god for those laps,_ she mused, boarding the bus, promising to never again complain about Major Friedkin's training.

It was another twenty minutes to the precinct which gave Lylah plenty of time to think about the day ahead of her. She knew she was being teamed up with Tammy again, Wolford still on his undercover assignment, but she didn't know what they would be doing. Most likely patrols since she was still in training. Patrolling wasn't a bad assignment but it was boring on occasion. They might catch a shoplifter. They might catch a dozen gang members in a shootout. Or they may see nothing for eight hours before calling it a day. Any adrenaline rush they usually got would be extinguished by the end of the day, boredom having taken over. Luckily for Lylah, her partner was someone she adored and could look at for hours, her wide hips and rounded bottom more than tempting her t- _Dammit! Bad kitty!_

A little too absorbed in her thoughts, the large mammal found herself drifting, not aware of the passage of time, nor where they had been headed. She had learned over the past few days that the path between her mother's house and the precinct was not exactly a pretty one when going by bus. The city still needed to provide public transportation to everyone who needed it and Lylah happened to be on the one assigned to some of the more shady areas in the district. Most mammals that rode the bus had started feeling safer ever since the tigress had started riding with them, the intimidating animal with a brass shield reassuring even the most timid of prey that they would be well protected.

Unfortunately with her thoughts distracting her, Lylah had let her guard down. Boarding the bus only moments before, a jackal, his fake leather jacket covered in gang signs and a slash across his left eye, had begun eyeing the other passengers, his gaze stopping on multiple handbags held by the ladies. As he made to snatch one, Lylah snapped out of her daydream at the bleat of the frightened older goat. Seeing the disturbance, the officer turned towards the thief. "ZPD! Freeze!"

Though they were required to give any suspect the option to surrender, rarely was it ever heeded, most mammals preferring to try and fight their way out of a situation rather than face going to prison. To Lylah's misfortune, the jackal she faced had determined that he was going to do just that, producing a large knife from behind his back. Lylah patted her side before remembering she was not allowed to take home a tranq gun from the precinct. Suddenly the weapon looked far more dangerous to the unarmed feline. Taking a ready stance cadets had learned at the Academy for dealing with suspects armed with knives or close quarters weapons, she waited for the strike. And she was not disappointed.

A quick lunge from the jackal nearly gutted the tigress, his speed far greater than she had been prepared for. This was no common thief or street thug. He knew how to fight and she had a sinking feeling he was quite handy with a blade too. Only her reflexes had saved her, her body dodging the strike at the last second. A jab from her powerful arm in response had her attacker reeling back, blood now flowing from his nose. Reaching up, the clawed paw dabbed at the injury, revealing the blood to his eyes when it was pulled away. Rather than appearing angry, Lylah was dismayed to see him leer at her. A wounded and rocked opponent smiling at his or her attacker usually meant one of a few things. The first was being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the mind altering experience causing a decrease in pain recognition or logical thought processes. The other was supreme overconfidence in one's skill which, going by the smug look on his muzzle was more than likely his reasoning.

Forced to slide left to dodge his blade again, Lylah quickly grabbed his wrist. Her mind flashing back to an unfortunate encounter with a little gray rabbit, she twisted hard, forcing the jackals wrist to the side. Her strength was more than enough to bend him where she willed it and she applied further pressure. His muscles weakening, he struggled to get away from her tight grasp even kicking her in the stomach and thigh to distract her, the action failing against the stronger opponent. He could feel his digits becoming numb, his nerves being stretched in one direction and pinched in another. A couple seconds of abuse later, the blade slipped from his paw, rendering him vulnerable to the larger mammal. The gang member paused at the unfortunate turn in her favor. While she moved like a rookie, he could see the training she had been given had taken hold already. Her actions were quick , precise, and powerful. Rarely had he been intimidated by another mammal, his deeds in the underbelly of society earning him great respect. Truthfully he did not need to rob little old ladies of their hand bags to make a living. His cash flowed from a much more active pool. However, he could not pass up an opportunity to instill a bit of fear in the minds of the more gentle folk in the city. And seeing a ZPD rookie on board to test his skills against made it all the more enticing.

It was a move he was coming to regret quickly. He was a highly competent fighter, normally taking on mammals much larger than him without breaking a sweat. He had even been known to go against some of the wolves in the ZPD and come out victorious. This large cat however was proving to be a bit more than he could chew. She was faster, stronger, and had more weight to throw around than he did. Not to mention a seriously good trainer. The previous confidence he had felt was leaving him in a haste. He was outmatched and unprepared. Taking several more jabs to the muzzle dazed him momentarily until a solid punch to his gut had him doubled over. He had been in scrapes like this before. Taken really destructive beatings. But this time would be different. He knew if he couldn't reverse this he was going to end up in prison again and that was something he could not allow. In desperation, he threw a wild haymaker as he stood, the fist landing in the center of her chest. Hoping to do some damage with the unleashed punch, the jackal was suddenly filled with dread as a small grunt escaped her. A grin full of razor sharp teeth after being hit as hard as he could manage unsettled him even more. He tried once more, this time aimed at her head but found his paw stopped well shy. A much larger one held fast to his arm, her strength feeling like that of a vice grip. Lylah yanked him forward hard and slammed her forehead into the jackals face, the impact knocking the other mammal out cold. With a quiet _click_ a pair of handcuffs secured the suspect facedown on the floor.

A few minutes later, the bus had pulled up next to the precinct. Cheering could still be heard from the other passengers when the doors opened, a tigress stepping down with a cuffed jackal in tow. A little unsure what to do in that situation, Lylah turned back to the bus and gave them a short wave. "Stay safe, everyone!" She watched the bus fade away down the street with with a big smile on her mouth before shaking her head. "'Stay safe, everyone?' What am I, twelve?"

"I thought it was a nice sentiment." The jackal having regained consciousness chose that moment to open his mouth for some unknown reason.

* * *

After being partnered with Tammy, Lylah had decided that being near the front row, next to her partner, was the best place to be. She was normally one to always be in a position where she could observe everyone, the back row being the most obvious place to do that. She had always been fascinated with how mammals would interact with one another, especially when it was different species, especially predators and prey. Her unofficial 'hobby' was easy to abandon though when it came to sitting next to the cheetah. She simply could not get over how she felt about her. It had only been a week since they met yet Lylah knew that no matter what happened today, tomorrow, or fifty years from now, she would never feel as strongly for another mammal as she did about her. And if she was honest with herself, it scared the living daylights out of her. But not enough to make her quit.

"Hey Pretty Kitty." A low purr sounding in her ear and the light trail of claws along her shoulder had Lylah shivering. Turning her head, she gazed into the smiling eyes of the cheetah she had been so focused on all morning. There was a sliver of mischief held behind those beautiful eyes which Lylah could not pin down. Tammy was notorious for playing tricks on others but ever since the two of them met, that same look easily occurred whenever she was getting ready to tease the unsuspecting tigress. Determined to beat her at her own game, Lylah flexed her claws.

"Hey yourself." Reaching down, the larger cat dug her sharp claws into the other feline's thigh just below her waist, putting enough pressure for her to feel it but not enough to poke holes in her uniform. Flexing her paw she used each contact with her palm to knead her thigh, Lylah feeling a pleased purr rumble through Tammy. She knew if she kept it up things would start to get heated, the pair having discovered a few spots during their patrols this week, despite the Chief's warning. It seemed as if the tigress had won, but the senior officer was not without her own tricks. Suddenly feeling a sharp scratching at the base of her tail, Lylah felt her muscles go limp. Her eyes rolled back while she let out an extremely loud purr, all sense of hiding what was happening going out the window along with her rational mind.

Head back and body limp, it took everything she had to speak. "If you don't stop that, Tammy, we are going to get fired over what I'm going to do to you." With a chuckle in her ear, the claws along her tail were retracted and a wave of of disappoint flowed over her. She knew it was stupid and irrational to want to risk everything but it had felt so good that she wished she hadn't stopped. "The next time I get you alone..." Lylah growled.

Tammy merely giggled under the intense look the tigress was giving her. "Down, Pretty Kitty. Plenty of time for that later. At least if you behave." The purring emanating from the cheetah had Lylah swooning. She watched as a claw moved slowly closer to her face, in line with her nose. _If she 'boops' me all hell is gonna break loose over here._ She was saved much to her relief and displeasure by the other unlikely couple in the ZPD entering the bullpen.

"I'm telling you Carrots, I know Fin. He's gotta be feeling it's pretty weird. He's not one to just jump headfirst into a relationship."

"Nope. You're wrong, Slick. I heard from Sarah herself. Jessica and Fin have been muzzletiming every night for hours. She even..." Judy stifles a laugh. "She calls him her 'teddy bear'."

An evil grin crept along the fox's muzzle. "Oh I am _soooo_ gonna use that against him later."

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde! I did not tell you that so you could blackmail my sister's boyfriend!" Dead silence filled the bullpen, the rest of the officers gathered not daring to break it until a lion in the back snorted into his paw.

" _Piberius?_ "

Growling loudly, Nick spun around and glared at the offending mammal. "Stuff it, Delgato!" The lion simply smirked at the much smaller mammal, the red canine obviously being little of a threat to him. Turning back to his mate, the vulpine sighed. "Well, there goes the car respect."

"Poor baby." The gray rabbit rolled her eyes, her voice full of sarcasm. Clambering up on top of her chair, she offered a paw to her partner before hauling him up beside her. "I may not like the idea of them dating, I don't really trust Finnick all that much, but he makes Jessica happy so I'm willing to let them give it a shot without my interference."

Nick started to respond when he felt eyes boring through his back. Whipping around, his own eyes met the cool amber of his friend's who was grinning widely. "What's up, Whiskers? Ain't never seen a discussion involving a mate's sister getting together with an ex-con partner who used to go around dressed as a child in an elephant costume for a hustle?"

If he was looking to put her off balance he failed as her smile grew even bigger. "Not since college." Nick raised his paw and opened his mouth before a puzzled expression flashed across his face.

"I haven't been but I've heard enough about college parties to accept that that's probably true." That got a few laughs from around the room, mostly the mammals who had gone to college and could attest to the wild things that happen at frat parties. All too soon the light-hearted mood was broken by the entrance of the most intimidating mammal in the entire precinct.

"Assignments..."

* * *

Tammy wasn't having the easiest of weeks. Lylah was a great partner to have. She was efficient, professional, and extremely competent. Her strong physique complimented her own slim form, the duo working well together combing speed and strength. But thoughts of how they would compliment each other in other aspects of their partnership would continuously pop up. She had difficulty keeping her attention on the road while behind the wheel, her body preferring the sight of her feline companion to her right over the dullness of downtown traffic. She had found herself constantly fixated on her ripped body, the power mixed with the gentle playfulness behind her eyes, not to mention she was breathtakingly beautiful.

It had only been a week since their chance meeting but to Tammy it felt as if chance was never involved. How could it be simple luck that two mammals who each desired a rare combination of certain aspects that the other was looking for in a partner would happen on the same place at the right time? What are the odds of those two seemingly being a perfect fit for each other, both having the same interests and complimenting personalities? Tammy Thompson was never one to believe in fate, deciding that it was your own actions that defined your future, but for the first time in her life she was starting to question it.

"Could we put out an arrest warrant on a MMA fighter or something? I'm bored." The deep sigh of her partner had Tammy's lips curling upwards.

"Sorry, Pretty Kitty. You know that's against the rules. Hell, it's against the law. Besides, I've had to take one of those guys down before. It's not as easy as you'd think. Police training doesn't cover the advanced crap they learn." Putting the left blinker on, the cruiser merged into a heavier flow of traffic headed for city center. It had been a relatively dull morning and both felines were a bit on edge. A mammal can only ride around in a car for so long before snapping. What they needed was excitement. They hoped the afternoon would be more forgiving.

After a quick lunch involving a lot of flirting and even getting a bit pawsy under the table, the duo were back on the road, scanning the streets and alleyways for any sign of criminal activity. While most civilians would assume drug deals would happen in alleys, usually because of late night cop shows, the reality was that alleys were too close to the road, too open. Drug deals were more often than not done in abandoned houses or buildings and even in parks during the day, the mass grouping of other mammals being a perfect cover, although those would mainly be orchestrated by the professionals of the drug world, the ones done in business suits and neckties. Luckily for the ZPD, most of these locations had been shut down thanks to their newest officer, Nick Wilde. His questionable past may have seemed like a negative to most of the force but his knowledge of the underbelly of the criminal world had proven useful in shutting down some of the more shady characters in the city in a relatively short time.

It was muggings that were the main concern in alleys. The shadows would blend enough that a stumbling or knocked out victim would simply appear to be homeless, the attacker long gone by the time anyone investigated. It was for this reason that most squad cars would slow down, even slightly, when passing an alley to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. Robberies and purse snatching were the more common sights to see in the daytime patrols, but even those had been non-existent for the pair of felines.

"I swear if we don't get some action soon I'm gonna have to waste my pent up energy with you in the backseat." The cheetah gave her companion a small smile knowing the tigress didn't really mean it. They had done some teasing of each other, spent some time engaged in caresses and kisses, but whenever Tammy would go to push it further Lylah would suddenly turn away. Tammy knew that the 22 year old was extremely nervous being in a relationship, especially one that seemed to be progressing too fast. She was inexperienced, something that the older feline used to be well acquainted with herself, but she respected the younger's wishes. Tammy felt a special connection with her new friend. She wasn't even confident enough to refer to her as her girlfriend yet, not knowing if that was something the tigress wanted, though she was fairly positive it was. They hadn't even been on a date although she could sense Lylah had been trying to work herself up to ask. Instead of responding with a tease of her own, Tammy reached over and scratched behind the big kitten's ear. "Oh don't stop, you beautiful cat," Lylah purred. Sorely tempted to pull over and administer some further petting the two of them were jolted from their thoughts by the crackle of their radio.

" _Dispatch to all units, we have a 10-31. Convenience store robbery at 2309 Viewpoint Ave. Suspects are three wolves. 2 gray, 1 white. Last seen heading north on Viewpoint Ave._ "

Grinning, Tammy grabbed her radio to respond. "Dispatch, this is Z117. Officers Thompson and Forrest responding. We are three blocks from Viewpoint. Will radio when done."

" _10-4, Z117._ "

The two felines glanced at each other as Tammy triggered the lights and siren. "Looks like we get that excitement after all, partner." Lylah flexed her paws in response, her claws extending dangerously far. Slamming her paw down on the accelerator, Tammy relished the sudden burst of speed of the large cruiser. They passed car after car that had pulled over, their turn coming up dangerously fast. Winking at her partner, the cheetah yanked the wheel and drifted around the corner losing very little speed. Some of the cars in front of them barely managed to make it to the side of the road in time, a rodent car almost getting run over by a hippo. Making a mental note to check security cameras to find that hippo, the feline drove like a crazy mammal. She was a very skilled driver, never even having a fender bender on her record in four years, but she tended to push the speed of her cruiser beyond safe limits, something Chief Bogo had dragged her into his office more times for than she would care to admit.

They soon came to the convenience store Clawhauser had reported being robbed. A frantic leopard was standing out front gesturing wildly down the road, indicating the direction the wolves had gone. As they cruiser blew by, the rearview mirror showed the leopard clasping his paws together and looking much calmer, the sight of the police chasing down the robbers doing much to stabilize his mood. It had only been a few minutes since the dispatch call but the officers knew wolves could move fairly quickly when they wanted to. It took another minute at the speed they were currently traveling at before one of them caught the sight of a white tail scurrying down an alley. "There!" they cried out simultaneously. Brakes squealed with the sudden stomping on the pedal. Lylah had jumped from the vehicle before it had even been put in park, Tammy being close behind after securing the car. The pair rounded the corner halfway down the alley noting the only other direction was a dead end. The tigress had taken the corner a little wide, letting Tammy have the sharper turn, which nearly caused her to run headlong into a dumpster parked on that side. Her reflexes kicked in at the sight of the sudden obstacle and she leapt on top of it, never breaking stride. Landing back alongside her partner, the cheetah looked over and gave her an approving nod. "There's hope for you yet, rookie." A warm feeling spreading through out her body, Lylah shook her head determined to stay focused and in the hunt.

Rounding another corner, the two skidded to a stop, the sight of their targets being trapped by another dead end in front of them. The pleasure of the hunt threatened to make Lylah reckless, the idea of her prey being cornered making her feel powerful. It took several seconds for her to shake that feeling, noting that the wolves did not look scared or intimidated. Quite the contrary as they all assumed ready stances. "I'll take Happy and Dopey, you take Snowball over there." The tigress being the larger and stronger of the two felt more confident about taking a two-on-one than letting her partner do so. Squaring off against their opponents, Lylah taunted the two in front of her. "So which one of you is Happy and which one is Dopey?"

"I ain't Dopey!" The wolf on her left snarled at her, his fangs dripping with saliva. She would be intimidated if it weren't for the fact he was half her size and looked relatively skinny, barely any muscle showing on his thin limbs.

"So that makes you Dopey then." Lylah had learned a few things from watching Nick fight in the Academy. He tended to throw his opponents off balance through casual quips and insults designed to make them mad. It worked wonders as he had only been beaten once their entire program.

"Fuck you! I ain't Dopey neither!"

"Well he says he's not Dopey, so he's saying _you_ must be Dopey."

Pissed off, the second wolf turned and shoved the first throwing him off balance. "The hell you calling me Dopey for?"

"I didn't say shit, asshole!"

Lylah watched in amusement as the two gray wolves started bickering amongst themselves. Lylah got ready to pounce before a winded and exasperated voice called out to the them. "Morons! She's messing with your heads! Get h-OOF!" His words died out in a grunt of pain, Tammy having hit his exposed chest while he was distracted. It was enough to rally the two mammals however, their snarls redirected at the striped officer.

She took a ready stance, for the second time that day running through the lessons she learned from Judy during their sparring matches. One of the first mistakes in a fight was waiting to be struck at. Being the aggressor was always better, strength and energy being able to overwhelm defenses quicker if not exhausted from defending the first attack. When facing two opponents at once, the rules change. Waiting for the first strike was an opportunity to gauge an opponent, one that should be utilized whenever available. It also tended to frustrate an inexperienced opponent into making a mistake. Growing impatient, the wolf on the left charged her, swinging fists and claws at the larger mammal. The fist strikes were easily blocked but an unexpected slash at her chest caught her off guard. Luckily, the wolves claws were dull and poorly cared for. It ripped a small gash in her uniform but did not penetrate to her fur. She responded with two quick jabs from her left paw before swinging with her stronger right until it was stopped halfway to her target.

The second gray wolf had used the distraction from his partner to move in to her unprotected flank, grabbing hold of the striking limb before it could land. Bringing out her own claws, Lylah slashed at the new opponent, her paw raking three long gashes down his arm. Howling in pain, he quickly dropped her arm and fell back, clutching his wounded limb. Unfazed by the punches, the first wolf rushed in for a second attack. She was caught off guard at the sudden assault. This time the impact was at her waist, the mammal trying to use his weight to throw her off balance and possibly get her on the ground. His mass was not enough however, his efforts only managing to delay her counter attack. Lylah spun at the sound of someone approaching her back. The second wolf had reappeared only mildly shaken from his wound, blood still dripping down his arm and off his paw. He had lost confidence though and was hesitating. Lylah used that to her advantage and waited to strike. Before she could she was hit again from behind. Trying to take on two wolves at once was proving to be far more challenging than she had originally figured but she was never one to admit defeat. Feeling the impact of several hard punches to her back and shoulder, the tigress attempted to tune them out, keeping her focus on the injured wolf in front of her. Sensing his foe in pain and distracted, the second wolf leapt at the tigress. He saw his mistake too late as a large paw was raised in front of him and slammed into his muzzle. He went down hard, not looking ready to rise anytime soon.

Anger filled her remaining opponent. Seeing a member of his pack going down like that was very upsetting. It was an insult that could not be ignored. Leaping up onto her back, the wolf sank his teeth deep into her shoulder. The roar of the tigress was music to his ears and he thrashed his head around trying to get his teeth in deeper. She could feel the blood running down her fur, the redness matching the vision of rage she fell into. Launching herself to the side, she used all of the power in her muscular legs to slam her shoulder against the brick wall of the alley, the wolf being pinned between her form and the hardened surface. Lylah barely heard the yelp from the injured wolf who slid off of her body and onto his knees. Consumed with hatred for the pitiful canine in front of her, the larger mammal slammed her knee into the side of his head causing him to slump over.

The other gray wolf came to and saw his partner getting pummeled in two quick shots. He decided his best course of action would be to flee as quickly as possible. Turning, he made it three steps away from the fight before sharp claws dug into the scruff of his neck. Crying out in pain, he felt himself being lifted into the air, a second set of claws latching itself into just above his tail. Frightened beyond belief, the wolf struggled in vain, the claws dug in far too deep to escape. He was trapped, unable to even turn his head to see where he was now being carried to, but a flash of dark green and a black plastic top out of the corner of his eye told him he was about to feel a lot of pain.

Lylah held the wolf above her head, the anger still coursing through her veins. She threw the wolf almost as if he were a child's doll, the effort not even noticeable. Her aim was true, the canine slamming into the side of the dumpster in front of her. A whine escaped him before his head fell to the ground. Throwing her head back, she roared in victory. It was a primitive act but it felt so right to the young tigress. Another thud from behind her had her whipping around to see Tammy dropping the white wolf to the pavement, her opponent also unconscious. She smiled grimly at Lylah. "Looks like you handled yourself quite...nicely?" Tammy hesitated with her words, the sight before her causing a mix of confusion and fear. The large feline was stalking ever closer towards her, her expression a mixture of a stoic face and a burning look in her eyes. She wasn't sure what was happening but the power she could feel emanating from the tigress was both frightening and arousing.

Just as the tigress reached her, Tammy decided she needed to shock her out of it and made a risky move to slap her. Though she was the faster mammal, she had hesitated on the action causing it to be slightly slower than she had hoped. Lylah, her movements unheeded by any hesitation, easily caught the cheetah's paw. Tammy started panicking, one of her arms now trapped by the much more powerful feline. She met the gaze of the tigress hoping to see some shred of the mammal she knew, but all that was reflected a look of power and... _hunger?_ Before Tammy could begin to think what that could mean, Lylah had picked her up and slammer her into the wall. The act surprised the cheetah but not anymore than her lips being attacked by the tigress's own. The movement was fast, her form almost blurred as their lips pressed together.

Feeling herself melt into the roughness of the embrace against the wall, Tammy tried to return the gesture, finding her strength to be unable to match that of her partner. Though the action only lasted a few seconds before they pulled apart, it felt to her as if it had been hours they had been there. She wanted more than anything to continue but instead, Lylah positioned her fangs at her throat. A thrill of fear ran through her, unsure if she was about to be attacked or loved. The feeling of fangs touching her throat confused her even further until they closed down into tiny nibbles. The love bites felt like heaven to the trapped feline. She could feel the teeth nipping beneath her fur into her flesh. Tammy began to mew softly until the fangs stopped only to be replaced by a gloriously long tongue that ran from her collarbone up along her neck to her cheek. It caused her to shiver and shiver again as the action was repeated.

_This is...this is tiger courtship!_

Another long lick had her slumping in the tigress's strong arms.

_Oh Pretty Kitty. Yes. Oh my god, yes. This feels so wonderful. Oh girl, as soon as you're out of this we are gonna have a talk._

Both felines started purring heavily, their cheeks nuzzling against each other, time slipping away as they cared for nothing except each other.

* * *

It only took Lylah a few minutes to come down from whatever she had been experiencing. Neither of them could explain it, never having encountered something like that before. She decided she would ask Fangmeyer next time she saw her, hopefully the other tigress would know exactly what had happened. Lylah was still very innocent when to came to relationships. They had quickly cuffed the suspects and put them back in the cruiser, the three of them still unconscious. The two felines had decided they wouldn't report what had happened figuring most of the force, and especially Bogo, would not understand.

Keying the radio, Tammy reported in. "Dispatch this is Z117. 10-24, bringing in three suspects."

_"10-4 Z117. We'll have a cell waiting for them."_

Clawhauser was well known for being a Gazelle fan, a major gossip, and quite aloof, but when it came to doing his job he took it very seriously. Most of the time.

_"Thompson and Forrest took a long time to get their suspects. Any takers on what they were doing?"_

_"McHorn here. I've got 20 on a bit of backseat cruiser action."_

_"I'll put 50 down on that one McHorn."_

_"Alright McHorn and Delgato have bets down on some cruiser action. Any other takers?"_

_"Put me down for 50 on pinning her against the cruiser."_

_"Alright, Francine takes the public route. Any others?"_

Lylah snatched up the radio. "We can still hear you all!" Dead silence was all that was heard for several seconds until a very familiar voice broke through.

_"I've got a hundred on Whiskers picking up Furball and slamming her into the wall and nibbling her neck then licking her face and beginning a tiger courtship."_

Another round of silence fell.

_"That's uh, pretty specific Nick."_

Lylah snatched up the radio again, rather peeved at this point. "What the hell?! Were you spying on us, Foxy?!"

_"Nope, we're over in Sahara Square, but that right there means I win the pool!"_

Groans were heard over the radio, the rest of the officers a bit ticked at having to hand over their money to the ex-hustler who they almost want to accuse of cheating somehow. His guess had been oddly specific, not to mention extremely improbable to be accurate to that detail but they had no proof so they remained silent. Lylah sat back in her seat, her face heating up. Her partner reached over scratched behind her ears, immediately getting the reaction she was hoping for as the tigress fell deeper into her seat. "Don't worry, Pretty Kitty. We'll kill him later."

She flashed Tammy a grateful smile which came across a little off since the cheetah still had her claws on her ear. Feeling completely content and relaxed, Lylah let slip something she had been trying to say all day but wasn't prepared to yet. "Do you want to go on a date?" The realization of what she said came almost immediately, sitting bolt upright and clapping a paw to her mouth.

Tammy looked a little shocked but pleased at the same time. "A date?" Lylah nodded hesitantly. "I would love to. Where are we going? Should I dress up?"

"It's a uh, a surprise. But it would be nice if we could dress up a bit."

"Oooh, mysterious. I like it." Turning back to the wheel, she had a big grin on her face. Something she had been waiting for all week had finally happened. She would have asked Lylah out out sooner but she didn't want to push the young cat, preferring to simply wait until she was ready. Although after their little 'episode' in the alley she would have asked herself if she hadn't made a move by the end of shift. Lylah may not know exactly what she wants on the surface, but there was no mistaking her actions earlier. Just thinking back to those nibbles on her neck had Tammy shivering even in the heated cruiser, feeling a heat traveling between her thighs. _I swear this kitty is going to be the death of me one way or another._

Lylah meanwhile was running through a thousand scenarios in her head. In every instance though, one thing remained constant. She had no idea where to take Tammy. She hadn't planned it through, just blurting out what she had been trying to do all day. But now the deed was done and she would have to wing it and hope for the best. "Great. I'll pick you up at 7:00." Both of them were wearing smiles by the time they arrived at the precinct, although the one across the tigress's face was a bit strained.

Dragging the three wolves up the precinct steps, the two cats entered into the lobby with their bagged suspects in tow. Suspect processing thankfully didn't take long for the officers. Some paperwork and a few minutes for each mugshot went by rather quickly. Their job finished for the day, Tammy headed for the lockers, eager for a shower especially after the fight in the filthy alley. She also smelled a lot like dog which she was not happy about. Lylah watched her walk away, enjoying the sway of her hips and the flick of her tail. It was a distracting image but one she thoroughly enjoyed.

"Hey Whiskers!" Lylah spun around to see a very pleased smirk on a red fox's muzzle. "I made bank thanks to you."

"Foxy! Oh thank god. I need to talk to you." The tigress rushed and grabbed his paw. "Sorry Flopsy, I need to borrow your fox." She yanked him away leaving a very amused rabbit in their wake. The rather large size difference between the two officers had Nick practically flying through the air behind her.

"Alright Whiskers. Jeez. What's the deal? What's the scheme? I already made a couple hundred off you earlier, I wouldn't mind making a bit more." Rubbing his paws together, Nick looked positively delighted at the idea of scamming a few more of his coworkers. As the very word 'scamming' crossed his mind, he flinched. Quickly looking behind him, he flinched even harder at the sight of his bunny glaring harshly at him. Her sensitive ears had caught everything and it did not look as if he would be getting out of this one easy. Resigned to his fate he turned back to his friend, hoping to help her before he was ritually sacrificed at home later. "Sorry Whiskers. What do you need?

"I umm... I asked Tammy out on a date."

Nick beamed, a genuine smile on his muzzle, one that he rarely ever shows to anyone. "That's great Whiskers! You and Furball are great together."

"Yeah yeah yeah. Look Foxy, I screwed up. I shouldn't have asked her." Nick's pleased expression turned to one of surprise.

"I thought you... you don't _want_ to go out with her?"

"No! I mean yes! I do! I just...I shouldn't have asked her _yet_. I didn't plan this at all. I just told her to be ready for me to pick her up at seven but I don't even have a restaurant picked or anything. I'm freaking out. This is our first date and I wanted it to be perfect and I'm going to ruin everything!" Her ears splayed back, a look of sadness coming into her eyes. "Foxy. What am I gonna do?"

He hesitated before glancing back at the eavesdropping bunny. He mouthed something Lylah couldn't see but Judy gave him a smile and nodded her head. Nick turned back to the tigress, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. "Alright, here's what you do..."

* * *

Giving a little spin in front of the mirror, Lylah criticized herself for the tenth time that evening. She was so nervous about the encroaching date that picking an outfit had meant tearing apart her entire wardrobe trying to find something perfect. She was really falling for Tammy and felt she _deserved_ perfect. Nothing she put together was quite right though. She didn't like how she looked in dresses. She never had but ever since she got out of training she felt her figure was even more overly developed with all the weight training at the Academy so she normally settled for blouses. In this case though nothing seemed to fit. Sleeves were be too long, her skirt was be too short. She was ready to rip out her fur the way her current state of mind was deteriorating. She was never one for dressing fancy so her clothes were limited. She hadn't been on a date since her sophomore year in college and that relationship didn't last any longer than a peck on the cheek after dinner. Glancing at her latest ensemble, Lylah decided she would have to bite the bullet and ask for help.

"Hey mom?" Walking up the basement steps, she entered the first floor of the house, her head turning back and forth trying to figure out where her mother was. "Mom, you home?"

"I'm in the living room, hon."

Steeling her nerves and swallowing her pride, Lylah headed down the sparsely decorated hallway. There were relatively few pictures but the ones that were there all featured their family. One with her mother and father on the beach with a tiny striped cub playing with a shovel and pail caught her eye. She wasn't old enough to remember that day but she had the stories from her parents about how much fun they had, their bright smiles in the photo proof of that. She had many fond memories of her father and they helped keep the sadness at bay whenever the thought of how they lost him would surface. It did no good to dwell on past tragedies. It was something that couldn't be changed, but the memories of happier days were something to be embraced and cherished.

Wiping away the small amount of tears forming in her eyes, Lylah turned into the living room. This space was much more lavishly adorned. Bob had been a bit of a traveler in his youth, backpacking across most of the world, seeing many of the sights most could only dream of. On the walls hung many of the art and ceremonial items he had acquired. There were also several statues ranging from polished wood to gold that stood on the tables and bookshelves. Her mother tended to settle for decorations of the living variety. Multiple flowers and potted plants were scattered throughout the room, although in a expertly designed and tasteful manner. The furniture was the only thing that seemed out of place compared to the well cared for plants and seemingly priceless collections. The couch and lone easy chair were the same as Lylah remembered from her childhood, the fabric stained and riddled with threadbare fabric. She could never understand why they didn't get new furniture. Her mother would simply answer they were comfortable and Lylah had to concede that they were indeed still comfortable to sit in, but it still seemed odd to her. She figured that maybe it had something to do with her father as he had always sat in that chair whenever he came home from work and that was enough to pacify her.

"Mom, I need some help." Snapping the book she had been invested in closed, her mother immediately fixated her gaze on her daughter.

"What is it, hon?"

"I, ummm, I have...sort of a...date tonight."

Her mother took a few seconds to process that but her eyes immediately lit up. "That's so wonderful, dear! Is it with the cheetah from the precinct you keep talking about?" Lylah nodded, her eyes a little downcast. "That's great, sweetheart. I'm so glad you found somebody." She frowned at the sight of her daughter's saddening expression. "But you don't look very happy. What's wrong?"

"I...I can't find anything nice to wear."

"Oh but honey, what you have on right now looks great."

"It's okay. But it's missing something. I just...I want this to be perfect." Her mother put her claw to her chin, looking daughter up and down for a few minutes before suddenly snapping her fingers, a large smile on her lips.

"Wait right here. I have the perfect thing."

_**7:00 pm** _

Tammy was pacing back and forth in her apartment, every few seconds glancing up at the clock. The time never seemed to change but to her it felt like hours had gone by with each flicker of her gaze to the infernal contraption. She was sure it was taunting her on purpose, making her think she was losing her mind. She had been on several dates before so this territory was not new to her, but it felt different. Because it was her. She wasn't sure when it had happened. It could have been the first night they talked. It could have been as late as their little tryst in the alley that afternoon, but Tammy just knew that she was going to be the one. It had been less than a full week since they had even met, and they hadn't even had a real date yet, but she already knew the most important thing. Tammy was in love with her tigress.

Not for the first time that night she stepped in front of the mirror, trying to gauge if her attire was appropriate. Smoothing the fabric along her stomach, the slim feline stared at herself. _I hope I'm what she's looking for._ An evil smile crept across her lips before running a paw over her body. _Although the way she loves to grab my hips and pinch my ass I'm guessing so._ A shrill buzz knocked her from her thoughts, the sudden sound causing her to jump slightly. Her heart beating wildly, the cheetah scolded herself for being scared of a simple doorknob. _I'd never hear the end of that if the other officers had seen it._ Walking over to the door, she triggered the intercom. "Yes?"

"Uhh, it's me. I mean it's Lylah. Are you ready? I'm ready. Well obviously, I mean I'm standing right here. Duh Lylah. I mean...Ugh. I'm...at the door." Her voice trailed off in embarrassment, all hopes of seeming smooth and in control vanishing in an instant.

Tammy giggled and keyed the button. "I'm on my way down." Grabbing her purse and her keys, she nervously took a deep breath before walking down.

Lylah only had to wait a few minutes before the door behind her opened. She had been practicing what to say and she had finally gotten it down pat but as she turned to meet her date, all rational thought went out the window. Standing in front of her was a vision of utter beauty. The first thing she noticed was the color of lilacs draped across her slim form, the fabric hugging every curve of her body as if it was painted onto her fur. The dress continued downward, ending midway down her thigh, allowing for quite a lot of fur covering her very long legs to be seen. Her hips were put on full display with the tightness of the fabric. A single shoulder strap running from one side to the other is all that kept her jutting chest from being seen, her spots traveling down until just above the top of her dress. An uncharacteristically shy smile graced her lips.

"You're...you're beautiful." Her cheeks blushing, Tammy tried to avert her gaze before being drawn back by her date's own beauty.

"T-thank you. You're quite the ravishing feline yourself, Pretty Kitty." The cheetah could barely believe the transformation her partner had gone through. Where before she had seen the tough as nails tigress, ready to face down a pack of wolves and win, she now saw a soft and demure lady. A simple white blouse graced her torso, the length stopping several inches above her waist, giving the smaller feline a good view of the fur that was normally covered by her uniform. Her arms were bare, somehow showing both the power of her strength and also the gentleness of her touch. Below, Lylah was dressed in a dark blue ankle length skirt decorated with flowers and strands of gold. Tammy felt blessed to be the date of such a lovely creature.

Lylah held out her arm which was gratefully accepted, the cheetah giggling as she took it. The tigress found herself thinking she could listen to that sound all day. "Where are we going, Kitty?"

"Hmm? Oh, someplace I haven't been before but I hear it's supposed to be one of the best restaurants in the city." Lylah hoped that was true and not just Nick playing it up. She also hoped he wasn't messing with her when he said everything would be taken care of, but she trusted her friend. He had never given her reason to doubt him and so she wouldn't start now. Besides, he knew how important this was to her and Nick was never one to shy away from helping his friends.

"Wow. Is this yours?" They had stopped in front of a large black Escalade. It was a pricey vehicle and Lylah felt it would probably impress her partner if she said it was, but she didn't want to start their first date off with a lie.

"It's actually my step-dad's. He loaned it to me for the evening. I don't actually, you know, have a car. With the Academy taking the last half year of my life and not being able to work, my bank account doesn't leave much in the way of lavish spending." _Or anything else for that matter._ Without being able to squat in her mother's basement, she would pretty much be homeless. Her first paycheck from the job would be enough to get by until she could save enough for the first month's rent but until then she was fairly stuck with little options.

"Oh don't I know it." Tammy didn't seem put off at all by the idea of her borrowing the car which made the tigress relax a little. _One fear down._ "I've wanted to get a car for a while but everything is just so expensive. I love the job but it certainly doesn't pay that much compared to the insane cost of living." They made idle chit chat about stuff they had seen that week and whether or not they could get the Chief to blow a fuse on Monday until they arrived at the restaurant. "'Ocean Garden.' Huh. I've heard of it but I haven't been."

"I've heard good things so I thought it might be nice. Plus it's not ridiculously classy cause I can tell you, I don't do well with formal stuff." Lylsh found dressing up for fancy shindigs to be very uncomfortable. She had been to a few at the art expos Bob was involved in, but to her it was a ridiculous waste of time and energy. While she felt out of place in a regular summer dress, the idea of dressing up in full length gowns made her shudder.

Luckily Tammy seemed to have the same feeling about the whole idea. "I know what you mean. This is the most dressed up I've been in a very long time."

"Well I think you look stunning," Lylah smiled at the cheetah, enjoying the way she averted her eyes shyly. "Now, let's head in and get something to eat. I'm famished after earlier."

"I could eat a zebra! Oh, sorry sir. Just an expression. And not a very tasteful one." The frightened zebra leaving the restaurant had been startled by the shout coming from the predator. At her apology, his expression had turned to one of distaste and anger.

Lylah chuckled a bit. She was more amused than anything finding the outburst rather comical, especially in the timing. "Where did _that_ come from?"

"I uh...I may have watched a movie the other night that would be considered taboo with it's expressions and allusions to certain... _savage_ acts." A deep blush was spreading across her body, her cheeks becoming rather red.

The tigress was a bit confused. She didn't think she knew of such a movie and she was quite the cinema aficionado. "Huh. What movie is that?"

"It's called 'The Lion King.' Heard of it?"

Lylah wracked her brain for a minute before pinning it down. It was outside of her normal genres which is why it didn't occur to her originally. "I was a kid when that came out. Isn't that the one where everyone is naked and they talk about eating other mammals?" Tammy nodded, a bit embarrassed both by the admission of watching the movie and also what she had said in the parking lot. Snickering behind a paw, Lylah led them inside, making a mental note to keep that knowledge to herself for special situations and relentless teasing.

"Do you have a reservation?" The antelope behind the desk looked at the two with a snobby expression, as if they were beneath her. It may not be a five-star restaurant, but that was apparently lost on the employees, or at least the hostess in particular.

"Actually we'd like to speak to Milos." Scrutinizing the pair, the hostess walked off. Tammy was a bit confused. If they had a reservation why did they need to speak to someone to go to their table? Within a few moments, the hostess returned, followed by a middle-aged badger.

"Is there something I can do for you ladies?" His voice was kind and curious. Rarely was he asked for by name which intrigued him enough to come greet the customers.

Lylah cleared her throat and leaned in, trying to keep her voice low enough to hide it from Tammy who looked even more confused. "Yeah, umm, Nick Wilde said we could use his table? Said he'd call ahead?"

The piercing eyes of the mammal made Lylah suddenly feel very small. There were few mammals who could make her feel unsettled but this badger was one of them despite his small stature and seemingly jovial personality. When he smiled warmly at the pair it did much to make the tigress relax. "You must be the officers. 'Whiskers' and 'Furball'."

The two felines looked at each other before turning back to the now laughing owner. "He didn't!"

Milos tried to respond as best as he could around his laughter, but managed to calm himself enough to get a few words out. "He most certainly did. Your table is this way." He led them to the back of the restaurant, through a few winding hallways and finally to a stairwell. Lylah was no longer sure that Nick had been telling her the truth but she was in this far so she might as well continue. Reaching the top, the large cat gripped the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. The sight greeting the two mammals took both of their breaths away. They couldn't believe the beauty of it all.

"This was your planned date?" Lylah struggled to wipe the shock from her face and appear calm and collected as her partner turned around, a look of wonder in her eyes. She knew she wasn't going to pull it off so she adopted one of Nick's signature smirks and hoped for the best.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. It's wonderful." Tammy stepped up to the tigress and wrapped her arms around her neck, marveling at the tight muscles she could feel beneath her paws. Hauling her down, the two felines shared a chaste kiss, one that left both of them hungry for more but they held back, not wanting to ruin the moment. They walked arm in arm past the rows of roses and wildflowers, both stopping more than once to partake of the pleasant aromas. The sight of the fish swimming underneath them was particularly enchanting but served to make them both more hungry than anything. Lylah moved to the table and pulled out a chair for her date, rewarded with a giggle from the smaller mammal. Taking her own seat, they were soon presented with menus. It didn't take them long to decide, both of them ordering the grilled salmon with a bottle of Pinot Noir. The following silence gave them both time to talk, to learn more about one another that they didn't get chances to during patrol. It soon turned to discussions about family.

Tammy swirled her claw in the glass of wine in front of her, a habit she had adopted over the years to distract herself from her nerves. "Do you have any siblings, Pretty Kitty?"

Taking a sip from her own glass, Lylah shook her head, swallowing before responding. "Nope. Only cub. Wanted some when I was growing up though." She had often imagined having brothers and sisters to play with but it wasn't meant to be. She was quite adept at making friends so it wasn't loneliness that drove her desire, merely wanting a bigger family.

Tammy grimaced. "I could have done without some of mine. I was the only girl with three older brothers. They used to pick on me something fierce."

"Cause you were a girl?" Lylah was familiar with stories of sibling rivalry but while her cheetah looked like a femme feline, she knew there was a much different mammal underneath.

"Hell no. It was because I beat them at everything they did. Rock climbing, biking, racing, sports. You name it, I was the best at it. And they hated me for it." _That_ sounded more like the cat she was in love with. "So what's your story, Pretty Kitty? Any interesting stories from your childhood? Parents still together?"

This made Lylah pause. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to go into such heavy stuff on the first date but she felt comfortable opening up to her, something that surprised her with as little time as they had really spent together. "My father. He umm, he died. About eight years ago."

"Oh." Tammy reached and put her paw over Lylah's. "I'm so sorry, Kitty."

She shrugged, the hurt from the past no longer breaking through. "It's alright. I'm not really over it. I don't suppose I ever will be, but I've made my peace with it." Their food arrived cutting off the flow of their conversation. Once the servers had left and they had enjoyed a bit of their meal and wine, Lylah picked it back up. "He was a good mammal. Loved me and my mother very much. Had a never ending supply of patience with me which was a chore I can tell you. I was a bit of a handful." Tammy smiled softly at the thought of her tigress being rebellious as a cub. "I loved him very much." Her eyes began to tear up which she quickly brushed away. Grasping her paw tighter, Tammy intertwined them giving Lylah the support she needed.

"How did he die?" Tammy immediately cringed at her comment, her own curiosity coming through at a most inappropriate time, although Lylah didn't seem to even be fazed by it.

"Oh. Car crash. Wasn't anybody's fault although it didn't feel like that at the time. There was a malfunction in the traffic lights. My dad was simply the one with the bad luck to be driving through." Taking another sip of wine, her date followed suit. "It took my mom a while to get past it, but eventually she did which was good. Met Bob, my new step-dad about three years later. He's been good to her. Towards me, too."

"What kind of tiger is he?"

Lylah shook her head. "He's a moose."

"A moose?" Tammy chuckled, "well that's certainly different. Good for her. Guess your family doesn't do the whole 'normal relationship' thing, huh?"

"Guess not," she responded with a soft smile. She looked down at her empty plate and nearly empty glass of wine. "Where did all the food go?" Tammy also seemed surprised looking at her own dishes.

"I guess we ate it all while we were talking. I don't even remember tasting it." She looked at the tigress through her lashes. "Must have been overshadowed by the company." Lylah blushed hard at the compliment. She wasn't used to handling these situations and she prayed she wasn't bungling too bad.

For a while they sat in silence, both of them gazing out over the city lights. They had each grown up in the city in one district or another since they were cubs so the view wasn't all that spectacular to them, having seen it so many times in their lives that it was no longer awe-inspiring. The company however changed things greatly. The moon had climbed high into the night sky by that point, bathing the garden table in the silvery light it cast down upon them. The felines were not immune to the beauty of such a moment, each glancing at the other, marveling at the shining silverish fur that coated them. Their eyes met and a spark flowed between them. It filled them both with an unspoken desire to come together. Standing, Lylah moved around the table and leaned over the smaller mammal. She brought her lips down and found her date's waiting and eager. It started out soft but quickly increased in passion, their paws finding themselves wrapped around each other. Parting, Lylah breathed heavily trying to fight against the overwhelming urges she was experiencing. Looking into Tammy's eyes revealed those same urges, the lustful hunger burning pulled back, somewhat afraid of the intensity of her feelings.

"I-I'll take care of the check and then we'll uhh, h-head out." She found herself stammering under the intense gaze of the spotted mammal. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, more just an overwhelming one. Heading downstairs, Lylah split off and headed towards the front desk to pay the bill when she was stopped by Milos.

"It's already been taken care of Miss Forrest."

"Oh, uh...really? Who-...Damn you, Foxy." Milos simply smiled.

"Yes, Nicky is good like that. Always takes care of his friends." His face grew more serious as he leaned towards her. "You are his friend, yes?"

She was taken aback at the question, not sure where the turn was taking her. "I'd like to think so. We went through the Academy together. I consider myself lucky to be counted among his friends."

"Well then you should probably know that Nicky must care for you a great deal and must really treasure you as a friend. That table is his. He built it for his mother and now he and his mate use it. For him to allow someone else to use it says a great deal about your relationship." He straightened back up and gave her a warm smile. "Goodnight Miss Forrest." With that, he turned and walked away, his business with her concluded.

Lylah turned and went back to her date, their arms once more looped together. It left her with quite a lot to think about in regards to her friendship with Nick.

* * *

"Shall I take you back to your apartment?" The time had gotten away from them over dinner. It was now quite late in the evening though neither felt overly tired.

Shyly looking up through her lashes, Tammy spoke in a lowered, seductive tone. "Unless you'd like to take me back to yours."

Lylah coughed hard, a bit flustered at the insinuation, one that she would not mind thoroughly exploring. She was also very embarrassed, now feeling like she needed to come clean about her living arrangements. "I don't actually have a place. I...live in my mother's basement." If Tammy seemed surprised or put off she didn't show it, her face passive. "Not having an income after six months and having to give up your lease on where you were staying doesn't give you many options once you're done. I'm hoping to save up enough soon to get a place of my own." Her face had gone red in embarrassment and she avoided looking at the cheetah, not wanting to see any sort of disappointment on her face.

"Why don't you come stay with me?" The casual tone of the question along with the question itself threw Lylah off guard.

"Stay? With you? Like...move in together?" She could feel her heart beating extremely fast, her emotions going haywire. Half of her was screaming at her to say yes while the other was trying to convince her it was too fast. "Isn't that sort of sudden? I mean we've only been on one date and that's not even technically over yet."

Tammy giggled again making Lylah swoon at the beautiful noise. "No Pretty Kitty. I have a two bedroom apartment and I need a roommate to keep up the costs. You'd have to pay half. We'd treat it like a regular apartment with the added bonus of getting to spend more time together."

Even though it was a spontaneous offer, Lylah could feel she was very sincere about it. She wasn't trying to put pressure on her, merely help her escape what was quickly becoming a nuisance to deal with. Still, she wasn't sure if it was the best move. "I don't know, love. It seems a bit fast for me. I don't think I'm comfortable with it just yet." Shrugging, Tammy brushed it aside leading Lylah to be more sure it was a legitimate offer for them to be roommates simply for the benefits of having one that they each knew and also giving them a bit more time to explore their relationship.

"It's yours if you want it, Pretty Kitty."

After dropping Tammy off, the two sharing a long kiss on the doorstep, Lylah headed home, her mood significantly better than it was when she headed out earlier that evening. Being later than she normally would come home, Lylah quietly let herself into the house through the kitchen door. Her mother had always been one to go to bed early so the house was quiet and she didn't want to wake her. Grabbing a drink of water from the fridge, Lylah headed downstairs. What greeted her filled her with dismay. Staring at the concrete floors, always cold in the mornings regardless of how hot it was outside. The dirty ceiling fan, the dust flying from it even if it never stopped moving to collect any. The faded and torn couch she slept on looked even more uncomfortable than when she had gotten up. Everything suddenly seemed ten times worse after turning down Tammy's offer.

After stripping down and placing her mother's skirt in the washing machine, Lylah lay down on the couch, the pain coming right back to her from the metal bars cutting into her sides. _This sucks._ Stretching out, she pushed her feet against the couch's arm to try and loosen her muscles before sleeping when the arm suddenly fell off. Lylah simply stared at it, her stressed out mind unable to comprehend what had just happened. Finally it clicked as her gaze went back and forth between the couch and the broken arm. "Oh that's it."

A loud knocking had Tammy rolling out of bed. Checking the clock she saw it was one in the morning, a time when she really didn't need to be awake. The knocking continued causing her to get irritated. "I'm coming already." She yanked open the door. "What do you wa-...Kitty?"

Lylah stood in the doorway, two suitcases in paw. "I want it." She stumbled in, her muscles aching and her body tired. Tammy quickly stood back, still trying to let her sleep befuddled mind figure out what was happening. She watched the tigress poke her head into the first room on the left, and, seeing an empty room and bed, collapsed gratefully onto it, falling asleep almost instantly.

Tammy smiled softly as she followed her into the room. Pulling a blanket from the closet, she placed it over her and leaned down to give a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, my Pretty Kitty."


	22. Chapter 26 - Two kinds of theft

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: So I looked up some of the old stories that Disney movies are based on. That is some disturbingly dark shit! I put my plans to steal Zootopia on hold this weekend until I can find out what sort of monsters these Disney creators are cause I ain't going against people that can read those stories and make movies out of them without some sort of plan first.

A shrill ringing in his ears drove Nick from the land of dreams into the world of the real. A time when imagination ended and responsibility began. Where he stopped being what his unconsciousness made him into and started being the cop that he now was. And it was only this fact that kept him from silencing the dreaded alarm and instead waking with the day. His eyes settled on the offending device and switched off the noise.

"Listen here you horrendous device," He glared down at his phone. "I don't start liking you until after my third cup of coffee and I have more than enough cash to replace you whenever I want. So how about from now on, you be a little quieter, huh?" Eyeing the screen a sudden realization came to him. "Wait. I already changed you to a softer tone. What happened?"

"I happened." The pleasant voice from behind him had Nick turning towards the open door to the bedroom, his mood brightening as a small gray bunny entered. The cute robe covering her torso would normally have elicited some sort of comment from him but the words died before he could even form a thought at the sight of the steaming mugs in her paws. "I changed it back to default because any quieter and you would just sleep through it. Again."

"I would n-...okay, yeah I would. Is that coffee?" He began to pant at the smell of roasted beans and the idea of the bitter taste he was so fond of. Not many mammals enjoyed it straight black. There were many with a powerful sense of taste and preferred some sort of added extract to soften the overpowering flavor. Nick, who spent many days, weeks, even _years_ scrounging just enough to fuel his caffeine addiction had simply gotten used to the bitterness, eventually coming to enjoy it.

"Yes it is." She handed him his cup before sipping her own. "I still don't know you can drink it like that but at least it wakes you up. Eventually."

"I claim Nocturnarility Syndrome." Not wanting to wait for the liquid to cool, Nick took in a large mouthful of the precious drink. It caused him to cough slightly but not enough to dissuade him from doing it again.

"There's no such thing, sweetie. Now get up. Breakfast is ready then we gotta shower and get dressed." Judy headed back out to the kitchen, Nick staring greedily after her. He wasn't entirely sure which he was more hungry for. Breakfast, coffee, or rabbit but he definitely knew he wanted all three. _Order doesn't really matter to me. I'm gonna get a taste of all of them eventually._ He grinned and jumped out of bed, eagerly chasing the disappearing fluffy tail peeking out from under the loosely tied robe.

While he was the chef among the two of them, it always gave him a warm feeling to know she wanted to try and make him happy, and one of the surest ways she knew was through food. She wasn't a bad cook. Far from it in fact. When she cooked regular meals they were as enjoyable and good quality as if they were out to dinner. She just tended to make it more complicated than it needed to be. Because she had been introduced to some of his more extravagant dishes, she decided that if she was to impress him she would need to be able to produce meals on par with his. This sometimes led to a few experimental recipes that would routinely leave them without dinner and left with several smoking pans. No matter how many times he tried to tell her that he wasn't really into the fancy foods, preferring simple meals in large quantities, she ignored him, the next night being even more eccentric than the one before.

Luckily for the both of them, breakfasts were excluded. There wasn't a lot of time between the alarm and leaving to attempt something extravagant. They would usually settle for eggs and toast, or possibly a stack of blueberry pancakes. If they were feeling adventurous they might add in some hash browns. This morning was no different. Nick arrived at their standard eating place at the kitchen island. The dining room table had been used a grand total of once since they started living together, Nick having prepared a very fancy dinner date for the two of them their first night back together after the Academy. Judy walked over carrying two plates, each loaded with scrambled eggs and a pair of buttered english muffins and joined him at the makeshift table.

"So what do you think we'll get today?" Nick swallowed a forkful of eggs before tearing into his bread. "I know we're not likely to get parking duty but I'd kill to be on a real case."

Judy smiled at her partners's enthusiasm although she made a mental note not to let him talk about 'killing to get on a case' in front of the Chief. "Probably be on patrols again." Taking a sip of her coffee before moving on to the eggs she glanced at the sour expression on his face. "C'mon Nick. You're only on your second week in. You're still in rookie training. Can't expect the Chief to give us a big case this soon."

Having exhausted his supply of eggs Nick took to pushing around the crumbs from his english muffins around the plate. "Yeah. I hear ya, Carrots. Still wish we could be on something bigger than _hoping_ for something to happen. I'm not asking for a murder investigation but an art theft could be fun."

Shaking her head she moved to the sink dropping her dirty plate in to get washed later. "Clean up your plate and let's go, sweetie."

He tilted his head in confusion. "Go? Go where? It's barely 5:30. Roll call isn't even for another two hours."

"Who said anything about roll call?" His eyes tracked to where she stood, the robe falling off her shoulders. "Don't tell me you're going to make this poor little bunny shower alone." With that, she dropped it completely, her once barely covered rear and tail now laid bare for him to enjoy. A little flick of said tail had his breath catching in his throat and his body rising up to toss his own dishes in the sink before chasing after her.

She had already disappeared into the bathroom before he had made it to the hall. The rainy sound of the shower head told him the water was already flowing. It was not an uncommon occurrence for them to shower together. It was actually how the majority of the mornings started. With how late he usually awoke they often only had time for a little bit of play but never going any further. However, since he had gotten up earlier than normal, he had a feeling Judy was going to be interested in more than a bit of heavy petting.

He managed to gain control of himself before making it to the bathroom door, rearranging his panting _hungry_ look into one of casual indifference. Opening the door he noted the mirror already fogging up, the heat from the shower creating heavy amounts of steam. A glance at the shower nearly made him lose his control, the shadowed figure of a very naked rabbit just visible through the steam skyrocketing his arousal. He desperately attempted to make it go away for fear of losing the game. It was something they did every morning to add a little bit of play to their time together. The object was to leave the other in a far more bothered state than they were. Judy was on a hot streak of three days in a row and Nick was determined to end it. She did not make it very easy on him though. She knew just about every weak spot he had and used it to the full extent of her power.

Nick let the door open a little ways trying to keep as much steam in as possible while sidling in behind his favorite bunny. She had already washed most of her fur but her ears had yet to be done. Ever since their first shower together, Judy had discovered that Nick enjoyed washing her ears for her, something she overly enjoyed as well. As sensitive as they were, the attention Nick paid them tended to overwhelm her, something he knew very well. However what she would never tell him for fear of finding herself even further under his spell, was that she had become addicted to the way he massaged her ears. He was gentle, patient, and loving, and it thrilled her to be under his touch. And as he began to wash them she once again fell under that spell, trying so hard not to let her foot start thumping against the floor.

Getting so close to her under the hot spray of the water did nothing to calm him down. Where he had started getting worked up when he first entered the bathroom and saw her through the glass, now being right behind her and stroking her ears he was completely lost. He had emerged from his sheath long ago and was now trying to keep from having the tip brush against her fur. He desperately wanted to take her right there and then but he had a plan to win and that did not factor into it. Finishing his cleaning of her ears, he rinsed them thoroughly to prevent any loose fur from being trapped.

He was sure he had gotten away with not letting her know of his arousal until the feel of a velvety paw wrapping around his shaft had him gasping in the confines of the shower. Looking down, the sight of the gray bunny reaching behind her to grasp him in paw was enough to cause a shiver to run through his body. "Don't think I don't know when you're like this. Slick, you are not." She bent forward and rubbed the tip up and down the soft fur of her rear, trying to tempt him into taking her. She wanted him inside her as bad as he did but if he gave in he would lose for the day, something he was trying very hard not to do.

Growling, Nick grabbed her hips and latched his claws into her fur. Judy giggled, thinking she had won and thrust herself back in an attempt to help him enter her. She was surprised to find herself suddenly lifted off the floor and spun around towards him. Face to face with his grinning maw, she hesitated, not liking the look in his eyes or the smirk on his lips. He pressed his lips to hers, his tongue sliding past her teeth making her moan. Slightly stunned by the feeling, she didn't notice she was being lifted even higher. Coming back down she found her legs over his shoulders which confused her momentarily, not fully grasping what was happening. It took her a second to realize exactly where he was positioning her but when she did she immediately started panicking. _Oh no. Oh no oh no._

The cold wetness of his nose pressing against her heated slit had her moaning in a much different tune than her mind was thinking. "Ohhhh yes...Niiick..." Her paws reached out and grasped at his ears in an attempt to keep herself from falling backward although it was unnecessary. Nick had slammed her back up against the wall of the shower, allowing him to press in harder. He also had grasped both cheeks of her ass, digging his claws in slightly to support her sitting on his shoulders.

Rooting his nose into her, he breathed in deep, letting her arousal fill him. His tongue slid from his mouth and gently lapped at the entrance to her sex. A shudder and a low moan told him he was doing it properly, though he had known how to please her for a very long time, learning all of her spots, all of the buttons to push. Another long drag of his tongue left her mumbling incoherently. Between her ears being stroked and the feelings from his mouth, Judy was already on edge. She had been ready to tempt him into having sex with her, knowing losing to her again would bother him all day. Instead he had turned the tables on her. She shuddered hard as he deepened the lick, putting enough pressure to graze the inside of her folds. "Ohhhh god...Nick...ungh, don't stop. Whatever you do don't stop."

Grinning, Nick started lapping quickly, tasting her all over his tongue. She had begun to pant heavily, thrusting her hips into his muzzle, pulling at his ears in an attempt to drive him deeper. Giving her what she wanted, Nick focused his tongue into rapid small licks at the top of her sex, catching the small nub of her clit driving Judy into a frenzy. She was now bucking her hips, losing control of her body to the pleasure building within. "Nick, don't stop. Don't stop! I'm gonna... Oh god. Almost! There!" Pulling back, he shoved his nose into her entrance and forced his tongue deep inside of her. The resulting shriek nearly deafened him. As her orgasm poured from her, he lapped up all of it, the taste being something he could never get enough of.

Setting her back down, he smirked at seeing her flop onto the floor, her body unable to support itself after the intense experience. He grabbed the shampoo and started cleaning himself, occasionally smiling down at the still recovering bunny. "I think I win today, Fluff." An exhausted pant and a thumbs up was all the response he got but all the one he needed.

* * *

"Nick I swear you're going to die from a caffeine overdose." Entering the bullpen, Judy hurried to their shared seat while Nick meandered down the aisle, giving a few waves to some of the other officers. He had made quite a few friends during his first week, most of his co-workers not showing any aversion to a fox on the force. It wasn't the case for all unfortunately, but for the ones who disapproved they had kept their opinions to themselves. Not only would it upset the other officers who had taken a liking to the first fox cop, but the Chief was also very staunch when it came to discrimination. And nobody wanted to cross the Chief. Nick gave a quick salute to the newly returned Wolford, the duo having become friends rather quickly considering they had only met a few times and for not long. Nick surmised it had something to do with his interactions with Judy over the months he was at the academy but he wasn't complaining.

Scrambling up next to his mate, Nick scoffed at her statement. "Carrots, if I was going to die from too much coffee I wouldn't have made it to twenty-five, let alone a spry thirty-two." He took a heroic pose, trying to show off his muscles. Judy knew he had them. In fact he was quite ripped after the Academy. She felt them every morning, every night, and every time they cuddled. He was still lean enough though that they were hidden beneath his uniform removing the impressiveness of his pose.

"Spry? Nick, your back cracked like the ram at the museum while you were putting on your pants." She glared at the cup in his paw. "Seriously, that's your fourth cup and it's not even seven thirty." She reached out to snatch it away but Nick swung it away.

"Don't even think about it, Wilde." A shiver of pleasure went through her and she cursed him under her breath. She couldn't stay mad at him whenever he called her that and he knew it. Thankfully he didn't abuse it too much. She slumped back down into her seat and huffed quietly. She _was_ worried he was drinking too much coffee but she couldn't convince him to cut back. She wasn't too worried about him becoming restless. Something she knew about her fox all too well was that if he wanted to be lazy, almost nothing would prevent that. The muscle tremors though, that could be dangerous when in a fight or having to aim his tranqs.

"Alright, but this is your last one until after lunch." Nick simply winked at her as he took another sip of his Snarlbucks large coffee. Judy ran her paw up his thigh and dragged it along the front of his pants causing him to choke on his drink, coffee spraying over the table in front of him. "Oh, whoopsie. You drank so much coffee there's no room left." She gave him her own wink and smiled wide.

He glared at her, more annoyed than truly upset. "I'd call you a sly bunny but that was a six dollar cup of coffee, Carrots." He drained the last of it before tossing it at the garbage can, pumping his fist as the cup fell into the opening. "Swish."

"Serves you right for spending six bucks on coffee when you have a perfectly good coffee maker at home and several travel mugs." She had made the same argument to him every morning last week only to be met with the same answer she knew he was about to give her.

Mouthing along, she mimed his vague gestures. "You just don't understand the complexity of the relationship one develops with coffee." Seeing her mimicking him motion for motion, word for word, he started chuckling. "Alright, alright. I'll ease up a bit." Satisfied, she turned back towards the front of the room waiting for the Chief to arrive. "You're lucky you are so cute."

"Nick!" Trying to keep her voice down while at the same time scolding him, she elbowed him hard in the side. "Not in public! I thought we already went over this."

"Did we go over it? Yes. Yes we did."

"So why are you still doing it?"

"Well, did I agree? No. No I did not."

Any retort she was about to respond with died on her lips as the bullpen doors opened and two more officers stepped through. Normally it wouldn't be a sight to be interested in, but the way they walked in together rather than being separate as they had been all last week was enough to arouse suspicion, something that was quickly confirmed as the tails of the two felines unconsciously wrapped around each other. Intertwined tails was a sure sign of some form of serious intimacy between big cats and while they all had seen the way the two interacted throughout the week and then heard Lylah admit over the radio on Friday had them talking, this new development told them things had escalated. Most of them hadn't believed in the whole part about the tiger courtship although the other felines on the force took it very seriously. It was not something to joke around with. To them it was as serious as life-mates were to foxes or hierarchies in wolf packs. Whatever the other officers had believed then was dashed at this new development.

Aware of the stares they were receiving, Tammy and Lylah headed to their seats up at the front of the room, hoping the others would lose interest. A few whispers behind them soon had them realizing they were probably going to be the talk of the room until Bogo showed himself. Lylah was a bit more self-conscious about the attention, not having been put in this situation before. As a known prankster and joker around the office, Tammy was used to it although it was a first for her in regards to her relationship. Sensing how uncomfortable they were making the couple with their stares, the other officers attempted to lighten the mood.

"Hey Tammy. How'd you land such a good looking feline like Forrest there?" The comment made Lylah blush. She rarely got compliments on her looks and while she wasn't going to be playing for that team it was still nice to be noticed in that way.

"I knew it! I knew I should have painted stripes on myself. That's why I couldn't land Tammy." A proud lion stood, combing his mane trying to look impressive.

"That's totally it, Delgato. It's not like it's cause you have balls or anything." The room went into an uproar, the lion sitting down quickly but soon joining in the laughter.

"So we have the Wildes up front, a bunny and fox which is odd enough. Love ya, Judy," Francine winked at the bunny who had whipped around to give her a playful glare. "Now we have Forrest and Thompson, two more officers dating each other... Anyone else hiding a secret relationship?" The elephant looked around, not expecting anyone to answer the question as it was in jest when Wolford suddenly stood.

"I can't lie anymore. The truth must be known and I don't care what you think of us!" Scrambling over the table, Wolford leapt onto McHorn's back. "I love Dwayne and he loves me! We're together and don't care what you have to say!"

The room broke into laughter as the Rhino shoved the timber wolf off his back. "Fuck off, Freddie." Wolford was laughing just as hard as anyone else, earning a reluctant fist bump from the embarrassed cop. Lylah and Tammy felt much better after viewing the antics of their fellow officers. They no longer felt scrutinized over their unconventional relationship, something they were truly grateful for. They knew the teasing would not end, it was just something they all did to each other. They were a family and one thing families did was pick on each other. However it was the feeling of being accepted that they needed which is what they now had.

A sobering thought reached them both however as they watched the group joking around. And it was in the form of a charcoal colored canine. Wolford was back from his undercover work which meant that he would be resuming his normal partnership with Tammy. Lylah wasn't sure if Bogo had secured a partner for her yet, and if he hadn't that would mean parking duty until he did. It saddened both of them. They each felt they worked together as quite a good team, something reflected in their takedown of the three wolves on Friday. They may spend a bit too much time on their personal interactions when stuck in the car but once they were out there they were very professional.

The side door suddenly burst open, Chief Bogo entering with his usual scowling demeanor. The usual greeting of fists pounding on the tables went around around the room. "Alright, settle down. Settle down!" Glaring at each and every mammal until they had resumed their seats, the Chief lifted a set of reports. "I've got three items today. McHorn and Grizzoli. You're going to Sahara Square. Someone has robbed the National Antiquities museum." He handed the folder to the rhino before the pair headed out. "Delgato, Snarlov. Tundratown. A fight broke out at the Frozen Lagoon nightclub last night. We have several mammals in critical condition and everyone is pointing at everyone else. Figure it out." Judy and Nick waited with baited breath, hoping something interesting would be tossed their way. "Fangmeyer, Pennington. Rainforest District." The disappointed moans from the front row were ignored by the massive buffalo. "There's been a string of jewelry thefts recently. All we have to go on is the thief is a small mammal. The rest of you, standard patrols. Same districts as last week."

"Ugh. You're kidding me." Nick threw his head back in despair. "We're stuck back in the seventh circle of hell. I didn't sign up to be stranded in the sand, the high winds, and the sand every day. Did I mention the sand? It took me four hours to get all of it out of my clothes Friday night."

Shaking her head, Judy shoved him out of the chair, only mildly feeling bad when he slammed onto the floor. "C'mon Slick, it's not that bad. You only have to get out if we see something suspicious. Otherwise you get to be in the shaded car with the super powerful air conditioner. And it took barely five minutes to brush the sand off and then we took a nice long shower to clean our fur out. And I don't remember you complaining about that." She walked her paw up his leg and quietly whispered into his ear. "And if you behave today we can take our time tonight." The effect her words had on him was almost comical, his slouched form suddenly straightening up while he practically jogged towards the parking garage. Laughing, Judy chased after him making Clawhauser squeal as they passed the front desk.

Tammy and Lylah held back for a few minutes as their fellow officers filed out. They were a little confused about what their assignments were going to be and wanted to address the Chief in private. At last the final mammal had left and Chief Bogo started out himself only to be stopped at hearing his name. "Chief Bogo? Sir?"

Turning back, the sight of the two feline officers sitting in the front row made him groan internally. "What is it, Thompson?" His ear flicked irritably, letting the cheetah know he was not interested in a long conversation. Normally the Chief would be halfway back to his office by now working on getting the reports from the weekend taken care of but he had anticipated something happening this morning although he had bet it was going to be either of the Wildes.

" I noticed you didn't give Ly- I mean officer Forrest an assignment." Lylah was trying to appear uninterested in the conversation but was failing spectacularly. Her eagerness to know what she was doing for the day made it impossible to _not_ be interested. _Maybe I'll get teamed up with Foxy and Flopsy. They would be fun to work with. Anything would be better than the three wheeled joke mobile._ She came out of her thoughts to see the Chief scrutinizing them both.

"So?" The casual dismissal in his voice did not give either of them much hope for a favorable outcome but Tammy decided to press the issue.

"Well..." Tammy started, "with Wolford back I thought I would be partnering up with him again and Forrest would be assigned elsewhere. But you didn't give her an assignment. So I was wondering what that meant."

Bogo pinched the bridge of his nose trying to stem off the rising headache behind his eyes. "Officer Wolford is going back undercover. He was only here to turn in his weekly report. You and officer Forrest will remain partners for the foreseeable future. Now get out." The two hurriedly obeyed the order and rushed out the door. It was no secret how head over hindpaws those two were for each other and Bogo groaned at the idea of keeping them together, but just like the Wildes these two had proven they could get the job done regardless of their off the clock relationship, which he hoped would be enough.

* * *

While both rabbits and foxes could handle the devastating heat of Sahara Square, it was certainly not enjoyable to either species. They simply weren't designed for the blistering sun beating down on them, nor the harsh winds coming in from the sand mounds outside of the city proper. If it had been a foot patrol assignment rather than cruising around protected by the tinted glass and cool A/C, they probably would have needed to request a different district. Both officers had passed the rigorous sand storm testing in the Academy but those only covered one aspect of the region, not the sweltering heat or blinding rays.

It had been several hours into their patrol that Judy noticed Nick's part of the conversation had dropped off. It wasn't about anything important, simply their standard back and forth banter or the enormous pile of lame jokes he had at his disposal, but still it was curious. Chancing a look over at his side, the sight of his thumbs rapidly tapping away at his smartphone kind of irritated the rabbit officer. "Nick. You are supposed to be watching out for anything suspicious or crimes in progress, not playing on your phone."

"Sorry Carrots. I'm texting someone and I guess I let it distract me." Slipping the phone into his pocket, he resumed staring out the window sweeping his head side to side occasionally, peering through the glass as if staring twice as hard would make up for ignoring the road for the last twenty minutes.

"It's okay. I've been watching so we haven't missed anything but I'd like it if my partner would be engaged too." She fought back her curiosity telling herself that it didn't matter who he was texting, that it was none of her concern. Unfortunately she was born a bunny. While bunnies were normally very withdrawn from most of the outside world, the majority of them tending to stay on their farms, they also were innately curious, always wanting to know everything about anything they could get their paws on. As a cop, Judy was even more compelled by this desire and so the battle with herself was lost. Although she was very proud for lasting several seconds longer than last time. "So who were you texting?" she asked nonchalantly, acting as if she wasn't really interested.

Nick gave her a patronizing look. He knew exactly how much it was bothering her to not have the answers and he also knew that if he wanted to he could get her to do absolutely anything he wanted, including pulling the vehicle over and crawling into his seat for a while. Unfortunately for him, he had promised not to do that to her, at least not that often. And as they had already done that in the cruiser last Friday he decided to not push his luck. "Fin. He wants me to come over tonight after work. Needs to talk to me about something. 'Guy stuff' he said."

"Oh. Are you going over?" Judy wasn't opposed to Nick hanging out with his friend, in fact she supported it wholeheartedly. Life-mates did not mean that they had to cut off all contact with everyone else and since Finnick had decided to go straight Judy had no qualms about Nick going to see him.

"I don't really want to. I mean I _do_ but I also don't want to miss that extra long shower we were talking about earlier." He waggled his brows at her, his tongue sliding out to lick his lips slowly. Judy felt a shudder go through her at the memory of that tongue from that morning.

"We can still do that after. Would be a nice way to tire ourselves out before bed. Help us sleep a bit better, you know?" Nick reached over and scratched her head, making sure to avoid her ears. While paying attention to her head would elicit a groan and maybe a purr from his bunny, they had learned that doing the same to her ears could potentially land them in a ditch.

"Sly bunny. Alright, I guess I'll let him know I'm coming over. What are you going to do without me? Do you want to come with?" The look of mock disgust that flashed on her face had him laughing. "Okay, so that's a no."

She laughed along with him before assuming a thoughtful look. "Maybe I can invite Trisha to dinner."

"Trisha? From the 10-7?" Nick remembered the bunny giving his mate her number but he hadn't heard anything about them talking since then.

"Well yeah. I mean, I felt really bad about what happened so I agreed to take her out some time, get to know her a little better. I wouldn't mind having another friend in the city who is a bunny." While she loved the friends she had made at the precinct and others like the Ottertons and Fru Big, she missed being able to interact with other bunnies, something she hadn't been able to experience since the last time they were in Bunnyburrow, and even then it was only her family members.

"Well that certainly sounds like fun. Why don't you two get a bunch of takeout and go back to the apartment? If we get done talking early enough i can join you two for dinner." Nick felt his stomach rumble. "Speaking of food, it's lunchtime. Want to see if Furball and Whiskers would like to meet up?"

Nodding, Judy picked up the radio. "Z240 to Z117."

Static crackled over the radio before a voice answered. " _Z117 here, what's up Flopsy?"_

"We're about to go 10-7. Any interest in meeting up?"

" _...Only if Foxy is buying."_

"Oh c'mon. Do they think I'm made of money or something?" Judy turned her eyes towards her mate. She opened them wide allowing the light to reflect the amethyst gems they seemed to be made of, her lower lip trembling. "Don't you do it, Carrots!" She turned up her cuteness factor to 11, stunning the poor vulpine. "Sweet baby carrots, that look is dangerous. Fine. Fine! Just turn it off."

The sad cute look changed immediately to one of bright eyes and dancing smiles. "Foxy is on board. Pick a place, we'll meet you there."

**_10 minutes later..._ **

Tammy and Lylah had chosen a greasy diner near the border of Savannah Central and Sahara Square. Unlike the Knife and Spoon, the restaurant that Nick had taken Judy to on their first day, this diner was not immaculately clean on the inside. Instead it was exactly what Judy feared it would be. The floors were covered in an abundance of different stains, anything from what looked like syrup to what Judy _hoped_ was spaghetti sauce. The tables weren't much better. There were several crusty layers stuck to the tabletops and she bet that if she reached to the underside she would find all sorts of half chewed gum. It was enough to make her queasy and she could only imagine what sort of food would be served in a place like this.

Surprisingly it was fairly crowded. She figured the state of it would be enough to drive out many customers but here they were, taking up nearly every booth and every stool at the counter. They spotted their friends waving to them about halfway down the diner. Trying to ignore the way her foot wraps peeled away from the floor with each step, the pair walked to the table and slid in across from the two felines.

"Glad you could make it." Lylah was a bit too cheerful in Judy's opinion for being stuck in that disgusting atmosphere. "I can't wait for you two to try the grub in this place. Some of the dishes are to die for."

"I bet." The sarcastic remark slipped from her lips before she could stop it. She tried not to look mortified, hoping she could pass it off as a casual observation and not a slight at how she expected to pick up some sort of rancid disease from what she could barely classify as a 'restaurant.' Nick placed his paw on her leg and began to softly massage it, trying to calm her down. It certainly helped her to relax although it didn't do much to make her feel better about being stuck in what felt like a grease trap. Even the glasses their water was delivered in looked unwashed.

Nick for his part was trying to keep his bunny calm. He wasn't turned off by the condition of the diner although he could see why she might be. He was used to having eaten out of dives like this on more than one occasion, usually the only cash he had to his name at the time being barely enough to grab a plate of chicken tenders and fries. She however had been exposed to very little in regards to places like this. The precinct was always clean, their apartment was always immaculate, and the few diners near where they lived were kept spotless. He knew she was a very clean bunny, a bit of a neat freak except for her desk in their office which always looked like a hurricane had swept through. Trying to distract her, he addressed the two officers across from him. "So, how are things going for you two? You seemed awfully...close this morning."

As he had hoped, the conversation had Judy's head picking right up. "Oooh yes! What happened Friday?!" Her innate curiosity was peeking through again but more than that was the underlying desire for gossip she had learned as a kit. Bunnyburrow was a place where gossip reigned supreme and that was not tempered at all at the ZPD as several of the officers were even worse than her sisters, one of them being the cheetah in front of her.

"Yes give us all the dirty details! Or not so dirty," He said under Judy's harsh glare. "Clean. Spotless! C'mon Carrots I'm running out of adjectives here." She giggled before elbowing him in the side and turning her gaze back towards the two cats.

"Well, you already know what happened in the alley after we fought those three wolves." Lylah narrowed her eyes at Nick. "Speaking of which, how did you know exactly what happened, Foxy? I know you weren't there so how the hell did you do that?"

The fox chuckled before taking a sip of his water. "I suppose I owe you that. You know how I know everyone?" The three mammals nodded although Lylah and Tammy did not look convinced. Judy, who was very intimate with his knowledge of Zootopia and it's citizens did not doubt it in the slightest. "Well, one of the mammals I know is an armadillo and goes by the name Sal. His real name is Albert so I can understand why he wants to go by something else, but Sal? Seriously? Anyways, I knew him from the old days. He sells counterfeit products." The three other cops at the table started to berate him before he shouted above them. "No, you can't touch him. He sells the products but he displays they are counterfeit and he procured a license to do it. His customers know exactly what they are buying." He smirked as the three settled down while also looking upset they lost what could have been an interesting arrest. "Anyways, Sal has a brother named Timmy. Timmy is what you would call a 'parkour wannabe'. By that I mean he thinks he's great at running around the city but he often falls on his face and goes nowhere. Well, he had taken one of those faceplants and was going nowhere for a while when you two and the wolves tore into the alley across from where he was laying. He saw the whole thing and texted it to his brother who in turn texted it to me as a fun way to play a prank on my fellow officers." He took another drink before sitting back and smiling wide.

Judy, who already knew the story, stifled her giggling behind her paws. She had laughed for quite a long time after Nick had called the two felines out over the radio, her professionalism going out the window for a while. She had felt very guilty about it afterwards but hearing it again had her laughing once more. Tammy, a prankster herself, found it fairly funny as well, and had a difficult time concealing her own grin. Lylah on the other paw was not amused. She was very upset with her friend who she felt had violated her privacy. Nick could see that he had pushed a few buttons too many and reached out to grab her much larger paw. "Whiskers, I'm sorry if I upset you. It was just a prank. We did plenty of them at the Academy, remember?"

Lylah unclenched her paw letting the crushed fork fall onto the table. "You don't understand, Foxy. That was something...special. It's very important to tigers and it was mocked over the radio to all of our coworkers." Tammy put her arm around her shoulders and squeezed, trying to comfort the larger mammal. Lylah reached up and grabbed her paw that was resting on her shoulder as she stared down at the tabletop. Nick winced as he came to understand what the issue was.

"I'm sorry Whiskers. I didn't know." The four of them sat in silence for a few minutes, each of them trying to gain an understanding of where they each were coming from. Trying to break the tension, Judy asked the question she had been wondering all weekend.

"So, umm, how was your date?" This worked to get a smile from Lylah at the memory of their Friday night. Tammy on the other paw fairly glowed at the mention of it.

"Oh it was incredible! My Pretty Kitty took me to the most romantic spot I've ever seen. Do you know the Ocean Garden?"

Nick exchanged glances with Lylah, seeing an almost silent plea for him not to say anything. He had no intention to do so anyways, wanting their date to remain special to them. "Yeah. Been there a few times. Good food."

"Well, on the rooftop there's a gorgeous table set up. It's surrounded by roses and wildflowers and even little fish below your paws! It's so beautiful. We stayed there almost all night just talking and watching the stars." Tammy was practically gushing as she described Nick's special table although she would never know it was he who had set up their perfect date spot. "I don't know how she arranged it, but...it was perfect. Just perfect." She looked deep into her partner's eyes and bowed forward, bringing their foreheads together.

Nick and Judy shared a knowing smile, both happy at how well it had gone for the two of them. They let them stay like that for a minute before Judy broke the silence. "So what else happened?"

Noticing the two felines hesitating had Judy's brow raising and Nick to begin smirking. "No! Nothing like that!" Lylah's denial did not do much to persuade the fox and rabbit's perceived idea of what had transpired leaving Tammy and Lylah to blush furiously.

"We...sorta...moved in together." Tammy spoke very softly, avoiding their gazes, choosing instead to stare down at her knees.

Nick eyed the pair, a surprised look on his muzzle. Chuckling, he wrapped an arm around his mate and pulled her into him. "Wow. And I thought _we_ moved fast." Judy breathed in his scent, nuzzling into his chest.

"Sweetie, we moved in together and we only knew each other for three days."

"Oh. True. Well then, you two _nearly_ beat our record. Must have been a wild night, huh?" The two mammals waived their paws, denying that anything had happened.

"It's a roommate deal. I've been staying with my mom since graduation so Tammy offered me the second bedroom. Still gotta pay half," she stuck her tongue out at the cheetah who grinned. "Besides, it will help us explore whatever is happening. And if it doesn't work out, at least we still have a place to live."

"Although the likelyhood of it not working out is pretty much not happening." The two felines nuzzled each other.

"Whoa ladies. PDA remember?"

"You're one to talk, Foxy. Isn't Flopsy stroking your tail under the table right now?" Judy let out an 'eep' as she blushed hard, yanking her paws off of Nick's soft tail and throwing her arms up.

They all laughed before Nick realized something. "Hey, where's our food? Shouldn't it be here by now?"

Tammy had a thoughtful look on her face before a look of horror flashed across it. "Uh, guys? I don't think we ever ordered anything."

* * *

Lunch had been fairly uneventful after their discussion. The group had actually been so involved in their conversations that they actually had not ordered anything besides water. They each chipped in a few bucks to make up for taking the table away from actual customers and settled for a vendor food cart down the block. While the chicken and cricket burritos were fairly satisfying for the three predators, Judy found her veggie burrito rather disgusting. Most of the vegetables were old and the lettuce had become very warm after sitting in the hot sun for so long. Nick graciously offered a bite of his but the sight of the crickets hanging out of the tortilla made Judy nearly lose what little lunch she had been able to keep down. She assured him she would be fine until dinner, he just better let her order a very large one which he readily agreed to.

Orders came in from Clawhauser saying Bogo wanted the two pairs to swap assignments, Tammy and Lylah now patrolling Sahara Square and Nick and Judy heading back to Savannah Central. Both groups were fine with that arrangement as the cheetah was used to warmer climates although Lylah was a little apprehensive, her natural instincts telling her she needed to be near some form of water which the desert landscape lacked. After stocking up on multiple water bottles she felt a bit more relaxed to proceed and Tammy did so at a relatively unsafe speed. Judy merely shook her head instead of bothering to reprimand her over the radio. Having been in the car enough times with the cheetah had made her appreciate the casualness of her and Nick's own driving. "C'mon Slick. We have our patrols to make." Climbing back into their custom outfitted cruiser, the pair settled into a much more comfortable setting of the main district. The moderate climate was far more to their liking and the fact they lived and worked there helped to make their experience more enjoyable.

Their afternoon was turning out to be as boring as the morning had been. Nick, in an attempt to lighten the mood, tried to initiate a few games. Going back and forth trying to stump each other with riddles had lasted a good twenty minutes before Judy got tired of it. 'I Spy' had gone over even worse as it was something Judy had played a lot with her siblings on car rides and had grown to hate the game over the years. 'Profiling' turned out to be a little better although Judy did not like the name of the game. It was something Nick used to play with Finnick in between slow days. They would each point out a particular mammal and try to analyze them. Who they were, what they did, what they were doing at the moment. It was actually a lot a more fun, Nick was finding, to play with Judy than it had been with Finnick. The small fox was good at reading mammals but Judy was a cop. She had been trained to ascertain guilt or innocence based on actions the suspects would make and it translated into the game quite easily.

It was around two in the afternoon before something interesting happened. " _All officers, we have a bank robbery in progress at the Zootopia National Bank. Corner of 4th and Main. All units in the area respond."_

Judy turned to Nick with an almost maniacal grin on her face. Nick wasn't overly sure about the idea of stopping a bank robbery but he knew his mate wouldn't pass up the opportunity and as her partner he would never let her go it alone. He nodded, adopting a smile although not as large or supremely overconfident as hers. Snatching up the radio so quickly she nearly dropped it, Judy spoke rapidly as if someone else might respond before her and she couldn't let the chance pass her by. "Z240, Wilde and Wilde responding. We're three minutes out."

_"Copy Z240. Chief Bogo will meet you on scene. Be advised, suspects are armed and dangerous. Have taken several hostages. Negotiators are en route as are SWAT personnel."_

_"_ Acknowledged." Hanging the radio back on it's hook she turned to her partner and began talking excitedly. "Can you believe it, Nick?! Our first bank robbery! And it's only our second week!" If she had been a larger mammal Nick was certain the cruiser would be bouncing along with her as she hopped up and down in her seat.

"It's definitely something." He was struggling with his own emotions at the idea of them charging into a heist in progress, especially after hearing the mammals were armed. "Carrots, I need you to promise me something." A little concerned at the hesitation in his voice, the bunny turned and gave as much focus as she could while giving enough attention to the road to continue safely driving.

"What is it, sweetie?" The heavy sigh from her fox made her a little worried, especially understanding what they were headed into. She adopted a more serious tone, one of a senior officer speaking to her rookie partner. "Hey. I need you to get a handle on this, okay? I don't know if we're going to be sent in or not, but if we are I need you focused. In this cruiser, at home, even at the precinct, we are mates as well as partners. But out there, out there where we swore to make a difference, we are cops. Partners. Our relationship gets put on hold until the danger, until the assignment is over. Got it?"

Giving her an appraising look, Nick nodded, his face becoming more thoughtful with a trace of seriousness. "Right. Professional. Got it." Waiting until she faced forward again, he smirked before slyly continuing. "Since we're still mates until we get out, is it acceptable to tell you that the whole forceful superior thing is a total turn on?" The rabbit shot him a scathing look. It didn't last long, a blush traveling up the inside of her ears and an embarrassed smile forming on her face. _She is so damned adorable it should be a crime._ Luckily for him she couldn't read his thoughts or his shoulder would be heavily bruised at that point.

Almost before he was ready to accept their responsibility, they had arrived at the scene. As with most crime scenes in progress, there was a large civilian presence behind the yellow police tape. Several news crews were already set up which was a bit of a shock considering most of the officers in the district had only learned about the robbery a few minutes prior. They weren't the only ones with cameras however, a large amount of the civilians filming the action through their cell phones. The area in front of the bank had cruisers parked in staggered formations, each allowing officers to move closer without putting themselves in an open line of fire. a SWAT vehicle sat near the back, multiple mammals still in the process of suiting up in case they needed to storm the building.

Hopping down from their cruiser, the two smaller mammals crossed the tape line and headed towards the Chief who was situated near the back. Their passing did not go unnoticed, much to their displeasure. Multiple shouts from television crews asking questions about their partnership, how they worked together, and other trivial requests for information. The Chief had already informed them of the precinct being harassed for interviews which the pair did not like the idea of participating in but their PR director had recently told them would most likely become a reality shortly. Other shouts from the civilians ranged from enthusiastic support of them to downright vilifying hatred.

Their relationship had become common knowledge after amateur footage had been sold to the news studios showing the two of them kissing outside of the precinct after their shift had ended. So far no comments had drawn attention to the wisdom of allowing life-mates to be partners on the force but the other comments had been just as damaging. They had the support of their coworkers, their friends and family members and that's really all they needed. It didn't stop some of the comments from causing some problems however. One such incident happened over the weekend while grocery shopping. A speciest comment did not go over very well with the small rabbit who Nick had to physically restrain to keep her from attacking the terrified jaguar, the mammal having raced from the store as quickly as possible away from the rabid bunny.

Ignoring the shouts around them, the two advanced on the Chief who was busy radioing certain cruisers to run support while directing others to pick up the slack in the patrols. Judy stood at attention waiting for the Chief to finish while Nick stood there casually, his aviators positioned on his nose like always. A slightly loosened tie, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and reflective sunglasses was his signature look. It wasn't orthodox and certainly went against uniform regulations, but Bogo let it slide knowing that berating the vulpine would only encourage him to become even more outlandish. Reaching the end of his instructions, Bogo looked over his two smallest officers. "Wildes. Glad you're here. I have a job for you."

This surprised the two mammals who had already viewed the abundance of much stronger and larger officers in place. They had watched as several SWAT snipers had moved into position along the rooftops trying to gain a line of sight into the building, however with the blinds drawn and the layout of the entrance, they were merely there for show since no clear shot would present itself. After watching the proceedings, Nick and Judy were both stumped as to how they be of much assistance.

Bogo motioned for them to follow and headed towards the rear of the SWAT vehicle. A graying wolf in a bad suit stood inside, paws busy writing onto a pad while occasionally speaking into a cell phone. "Alright. I got it all down...Don't worry, Tom. We'll get this all sorted out...Well we all want what's best for each of us, don't we?...In a show of good faith, could we arrange an exchange? It will be a little bit before I can get everything together for you so what if we brought in some food, enough to get you all through this ordeal and in return you release some of the hostages...Okay. No reason to get ups-...C'mon Tom, you can't expect me to get a helicopter here that quick...Of course we don't want the hostages getti-...Hello? Dammit." Hanging his head, he yanked at his ears before turning to the Chief. "These guys are first timers. That makes this difficult."

"Well of course it does." The three turned to the red fox who had spoken up. "These guys are probably going based on what they've seen in the movies. The minute they start making concessions is when the robbers always get it in the films. So they aren't giving up their only bargaining chip. Asking for a helicopter kind of gave that away. No one actually asks for a helicopter in real life unless they're morons. A getaway car while taking hostages with them would be much easier."

The wolf stared incredulously at the russet-furred mammal before turning to Bogo who was rubbing his temples and muttering under his breath. "Who the hell is this guy and why does he know so much about bank robberies?"

"Nick Wilde, ZPD. How ya doin?" The wolf stared at the offered paw before grudgingly accepting it.

"Blaine Fangmeyer."

"No kidding. We have a tigress with the last name Fangmeyer back at the precinct. Any relation?"

Blaine stared at him trying to gauge if this fox was crazy or just a moron. Turning to Judy he cocked his head at the smirking vulpine. "Did he seriously just ask me if I'm related to a tigress?"

"Ignore him, Mr. Fangmeyer. Now, can you explain what's happening inside the bank?" Judy had hauled out her pad and carrot pen ready to take notes. Nick smiled at his partner's dedication to protocol but he knew it was unnecessary to even bother writing anything down, everything already having been cataloged by now. Even the wolf gave her a small smile at the appearance of the pad.

"We have three suspects inside. All armed and all willing to kill if need be. Security guard is dead. Two civilians hurt, one critical. They won't allow medical personnel inside to treat the wounded so we're under a time constraint. We need to get that mammal out before they bleed to death and remove the three robbers before they can hurt anyone else." Tapping the list he had been working on, he scowled at it before continuing. "They've given us their ultimatums, which is going to be impossible to deliver on, let alone would we get approval for." Appraising the mammal to her side, he gave a noncommittal jerk of his head. "Your fox friend is right. These are obviously amateurs who have gotten in _way_ over their head. The guns were most likely a show of force until someone got trigger happy and now they are looking at murder on top of robbery. They're panicked. They want to get out of this but have no idea how."

Judy turned to Bogo who was busy looking over a floor plan of the bank. "Chief Bogo, sir. What was it you wanted Nick and I to do? I can't imagine we would be doing on the front but we're willing to do whatever is necessary to save those hostages."

The large buffalo was struggling not to show the pride he had in his officer. He had almost cost her her dream, one that she was damn good at, and it haunted him nearly every day. But today was a day for action. To show him what she was capable of. "Wilde. You and your partner are going to be a crucial part in taking these three down. Do you think you can handle it?"

Her paw snapped up to her forehead so fast she nearly hit herself in the head, something which caused Nick to hide a snort behind his paw. "Sir, we are prepared sir."

"Good. Now, we have the front covered and there is no back entrance so the suspects are not concerned with being attacked from behind. As such they have left the offices unguarded."

"Makes sense," Nick chimed in. "No point wasting mammal power on something unnecessary. But how does that help us?"

Bogo slapped a digit to the blueprints in front of him."Because there is in fact a side entrance." Judy appeared eager to see what Bogo was pointing at and craned her neck to read it still found herself lacking the height needed and tried to jump to see it, only getting a section of the picture each time. Nick, who was tall enough to see without having to jump, stared at the section of the blueprints he was pointing at and began laughing.

"That's...that's what you call an entrance? That's insane." Judy was confused at his reaction as she hadn't been able to glimpse what they were seeing.

"It will work, Wilde."

"It's an air duct! She might be able to make it but I doubt I will. And I will _not_ allow my partner to go in alone."

Bogo stared at him before something akin to approval momentarily replaced his scowl. "I appreciate the sentiment but you won't need to. The air ducts are done in sections. Once you are the through the vent you only need to undo the section immediately in front of you and drop down into the supply room. From there you have a direct line of sight into the main lobby where everyone is being held." Nick started to object before running through the plan in his mind. Other than the problem of the duct falling once it was detached and being unable to catch it, he could see no fault in it. Even if the duct did fall they simply had to replace the vent and it would appear that the duct fell on it's own.

Exchanging a look with his mate, Nick cocked his head questioningly. He was asking her opinion on the whole thing even though he knew what it would be before he even made the gesture. "We'll do it, Chief." Bogo snorted, his only response to the pair as they put on their bulletproof vests and checked their tranquilizers and sidearms. Because the suspects were using live ammunition, they were approved to carry their own pistols. Their standing orders were to take the robbers into custody if at all possible and only use deadly force as a last resort. Nick, while outwardly approving of the conditions and what he promised his partner in the cruiser before arriving, made a promise to himself. He didn't care what the regulations stated or how badly he had to anger Judy. If he thought even for an instance that she was in danger, he would not hesitate to remove that threat by any means necessary. She was his mate and he would be damned if he was going to let her be hurt.

Geared up and ready, the two of them quickly headed around the side of the building, seeking the vent they had been told to look for. Judy had spotted it first, the silver grate inset into the wall a few inches. Nick pondered how they were supposed to remove it but the first obstacle to overcome was how they were going to get up there in the first place. Located about twenty feet up the wall, they stared at it feeling helpless. There were no nearby boxes to scramble up on, no scaffolding to raise themselves up the wall. Judy stood there tapping her foot irritably, seemingly out of ideas. "I got nothin, Nick." A few seconds went by without a response before she turned towards her partner, only to find him having disappeared. "Nick?" He hadn't told her where he was going which infuriated her both as her partner and as her mate. "We're supposed to have good communication, Nick. 'Oh don't worry, Carrots. I'm great at communicating. Ha ha ha.' He's such an a-hole." She could do nothing but stand there and wait for him to come back. _Maybe he went to get something they could climb up there with. Would have been nice to_ tell _me, partner!_

A few minutes later her sensitive ears heard a small amount of heavy breathing, as if someone had overexerted themselves. Figuring it was Nick coming back, she turned towards the area where the cruisers were only to see no one there. Instead the sound was coming from behind her in the opposite direction of where the officers were all congregating. Whipping around she saw her partner hauling a very long ladder up the hill she was standing on. Hurrying forward, she grabbed onto a rung trying to help him get it to the wall. "Nick, where did you get this?"

"House...remodeling..." He was gasping in between words while trying to catch his breath. "Commandeered...ladder."

"Nick, did you actually use your badge to take this ladder? That's against regulations!"

Rubbing his chest as if to warm it up, Nick took a few deep breaths trying to calm his lungs. Beginning to breathe more normally, he gave her a small smile, but not his standard smirk he might normally have in this situation. "Relax, Carrots. I gave them $20 as collateral. I'll bring it back. I want my $20 more than I want a ladder I can't even carry." After resting for a couple minutes longer, the two maneuvered the ladder into position. Nick proceeded up first, the two of them gauging his strength might be necessary to remove the grate. Surprisingly it was very easy to remove. It was mainly set into place with a few strips of metal around the edges to keep it stationary. After removing the metal it fell into his paws. He wasn't sure how to hold it if he should need to hastily replace it so Judy climbed up and took that task. Eyeing the duct Nick simply shook his head. Whoever had designed the bank had hired extremely cheap laborers which happened to fall into their favor. The duct was held together with a few steel clasps, something easily detached. The lightweight aluminum made it extremely easy to hold onto and lower to the floor without any difficulty.

Their first task handled surprisingly easily, the duo made their way through the supply room to the open door, attempting to make as little noise as possible. The three suspects were still roaming around and could potentially spot them if they weren't careful. Peering around the door, Nick exposed the least amount of fur he could while getting a line of sight into the lobby. The first thing he saw was an imposing tiger. If he had to guess, this was the ringleader. He carried himself confidently even for a first time criminal, although he reminded himself this could merely be his first escalated crime. He may have been a hustler or perhaps a gang member. Whatever he had done in the past he was definitely one who could present a bit of trouble for the two officers. The way he kept glancing towards the body of the security guard as he fiddled nervously with his rifle led Nick to believe he may have been the one to kill the old goat.

The striped mammal was shifting side to side in the main atrium, keeping in mostly one spot. To his left sat the hostages all lined up against the lower section of the counters. Most of them looked frightened although he noticed a couple who were just staring at the floor, all emotion drained from them as if they had accepted their fate, something he and his partner aimed to change before anyone else got hurt.

Just as he was about to pull back, he caught the sight of a zebra coming from a darkened hallway. Whether he had been on patrol or just going to the bathroom didn't matter, only that a second mammal with a gun was now in play. Feeling a small paw grab his shoulder, he barely had time to turn before it yanked him back away from the door. Sending her a questioning glance, she pointed to her twitching ears and then at the door. He nodded and took up position, the two of them backing up into a more secluded area hiding behind a stack of memo paper.

Heavy shuffling approaching their door had him wondering how he hadn't heard it to begin with. Either he had been distracted by the actions in the lobby or the third mammal had been ridiculously close to where he had been around the door and had only started moving just then. The lumbering form of a hippo passed in front of the door, giving the partners pause. They waited, watching until he had turned and headed back the way he had come. This changed things. They checked their ammunition and found they were going to be in trouble. They only had six shots of tranquilizer. One might be enough to put down the zebra. Maybe two. However the hippo would require at least four. His mass meant several doses would be needed to take them down not to mention a hippo's thick skin would also slow the effects.

"We'll have to take down the tiger by paw." The idea did not sit well with Nick and Judy could tell. The grimace on his muzzle had her staying her inspirational speech she hoped would get him on board but she knew it wasn't what he needed to hear. Breaking her own rule, she leaned in and gave him a light kiss. His surprise was evident as his eyes opened wide. "We can do this, sweetie. Alright? I trust you. You need to trust me. Can you do that?"

He grasped her paw and smiled softly, reaching up to cup her cheek. "I'll always trust you, Carrots. Now, let's take these guys down. Ready?" Judy nodded and the two of them sprinted out from their hiding place. They made it to the area where the tellers normally stand, their small size being a benefit behind the tall counters allowing them to hide effectively. Pinpointing the suspects was easy for the rabbit officer as they began to arguing with each other.

"Why the hell is it taking so long? We should have been out of here by now."

A low growl told them the tiger was getting annoyed by all of the delays, something the pair were trying to figure a way they could use it to their advantage. "Relax. I gave the guy our demands. We'll be on our way with the cash in no time."

"Tell me you didn't actually ask for a helicopter, Tom." An impatient hoof striking the floor had the second target narrowed down in the front of them to their left. Nick couldn't tell exactly how far but a glance at his bunny's concentrated face told him she was analyzing it.

"What? We need one to get out of here quickly."

"We agreed on an escape van and taking a few hostages for security!"

"That was a dumb plan."

"No, shooting the guard was a dumb plan." The third target had joined the other two in the center of the lobby, his deep bass of a voice full of disappointment and accusation.

"That was an accident! I only meant to scare him."

"They're never gonna let us go. Not after you murdered the goat."

"Just shut up and let me think."

The other two mammals grudgingly walked off leaving the tiger to his own thoughts. They talked amongst themselves, Judy catching a few sentences revealing they were angry they were going to get pinched for accomplices to murder just because their 'airhead of a leader' decided to mimic his favorite movies. Nick waived the rabbit over to discuss their plan.

"I'd like to take out the tiger with the two darts. He's too much of a wildcard to leave standing."

Judy nodded. "I agree. I don't like leaving him around with the hostages. Not after he's already killed one and injured two more."

"Alright. We'll pop around the far end and-" he broke off at the look of shock flashing over her face while her gaze focused over his shoulder. Whipping his head around, he was taken aback by the sight of an equally shocked zebra staring at them from the end of the counters. The two officers immediately raised their tranquilizers and let one shot each fly into the zebra, one shot landing in his neck, the other into his cheek. The darts did their work, knocking the mammal out before he could even raise his rifle. As he fell, the noise drew the attention of the other two robbers who stared at the black and white mammal keeling over, two darts sticking out of him.

"Cops! Adam, fan out. We've got cops in the building!" Heavy steps moved towards the fallen zebra. In a few moments he would have a clean line of sight to their hiding spot. They quickly ran for the other end, hoping to sneak out the security door before being spotted. They just made it although Nick was sure his tail had been spotted before it whipped around the corner. Not hearing a shout, the pair continued moving off keeping low to the floor. Judy, hearing a low growl headed in their direction, grabbed Nick's paw and hauled him into the first open room she found.

The sight of a large circular door with a massive turn handle triggered a wave of despair through the duo. She had inadvertently led them straight into the vault room which had no other entrance or exit than the one the robbers were currently headed for. The only good thing about the room that was to their advantage was the closed circuit camera feeds displayed on monitors inside the entrance to the vault room. These were used for determining when the bank was clear in the event of a robbery, ironically enough. Watching the two suspects sweeping their way through the other rooms and hiding areas while heading directly for them gave Nick an idea.

Quickly ejecting the magazine from his pistol, he thumbed out one round and slid the magazine quietly back in. Standing, he watched the televisions patiently. He stood there for several seconds, waiting for just the right opportunity. Judy did not understand what he was doing but stood next to him, knowing whatever plan he had would require them to move quickly. Nick rolled the bullet between his digits, his other paw tapping his gun he kept out just in case his plan did not work. The opportunity came without warning but Nick had prepared himself for just that. As the two targets bent down and looked in opposite directions, Nick turned the corner and chucked the bullet as hard as he could before slipping back behind the door against the wall. The resounding _clink_ as the metal hit the floor across the room made the two jump. "Over there!"

The two sprinted off in the direction of the sound allowing the officers to make their way from their trapped location into one with a much more favorable setting. Ducking down behind a row of desks that allowed them to see out but nearly impossible to be seen, they panted, trying to regain the breaths they had been holding during the time they were hiding. "Clever fox." Nick could only grin at his partner before they surveyed the scene. "We need to take out that hippo. The next time they get separated, we put all of them in his back."

"That will leave us with the unstable tiger."

"I know. We can take him though. We'll have to make sure we get his attention before he starts shooting the hostages though." A confident smirk appeared on the fox's lips.

"Leave that to me. I'll let you know when to make your move, although I think you'll be able to tell. Now, here comes tubby." He placed a finger over her lips as she began to lecture him. "He's a bank robber, Carrots. I'm calling him tubby."

The tiger split off and moved back through the lobby, somehow under the impression the cops were hiding with the hostages or were actually hostages themselves. The hippo meanwhile was continuing his searches of the offices, figuring those were the only areas whoever had gotten in could be hiding. Seeing the open door to the supply room, he moved off and headed slowly towards what was their entry point. The two officers stalked him quietly, silently willing him to enter the room. As if he had heard them, the heavy mammal stopped in the doorway, looking closely at everything. Several tall stacks of paper caught his eye and decided it warranted investigation. It was at that moment the fox and rabbit emptied the rest of their tranquilizers into the mammal's back. His body's small resistance to being immediately overcome allowed him to turn around and focus on the two officers only to find the door shutting in his face. He had gone too far into the room to be able to make it to the handle before being swept away into unconsciousness.

Their feet shaking with a minor thud from inside the room had them congratulating themselves on what they felt was a minor victory. They had eliminated two of the three targets and were down to their last perp. Unfortunately this would be the hardest one they would have to face. Nick directed Judy to head down the rows of counters until she was lined up with the tiger's position. Meanwhile, Nick headed out into the lobby.

"Hey Tom!" Whirling around at the sound of his name being spoken by a strange voice, the tiger narrowed his eyes at the fox.

"Who the hell are you?"

Nick appeared hurt by the statement. "Nick Wilde. You know, first fox cop? Savior of Zootopia? Current holder of the Pac-Man high score at Jimmy's Pizza over on the 8th? Nothing? Seriously? I'm hurt, Tom. And I don't hurt easily."

"Shut it, cop. Adam! Hey Adam, I got the cop!" The feline's bellow echoed through the large atrium reaching an impressive volume.

"Oh you mean your hippo friend? Yeah, he's out back in the supply room taking a nap. You should be proud though. He _almost_ caught me." He nearly slipped and said 'us' but for the moment keeping Judy's involvement a secret was part of his plan.

"Well then. If my guys are taking a nap, then you'll be taking one as well. A _dirt_ nap!" He brought his rifle to bear, the sights focusing on the chest of the red vulpine who stood in front of him with an annoying smirk, not even bothering to move or draw the weapon he could see holstered on his side. It made him pause momentarily but decided if the fox didn't value his own life that much then he would simply end it for him.

A small movement of gray had him turning his vision to his right. It was a blur of motion and not one he was expecting. He suddenly found the gun he had been holding in his paws flying out of them and across the room. His astonishment only lasted for a moment as the mysterious blur solidified into a rabbit also with the trappings of a ZPD officer. The two cops regrouping in front of him had him laughing hard. Neither the fox nor the rabbit seemed perturbed by this, the two of them often being underestimated. "A stupid fox and a dumb bunny is what the ZPD is resorting to? They didn't have a gerbil? Or maybe a weasel?"

"Hey asshole!" The tiger, still chuckling, turned his gaze to the fox who now looked rather ticked. "Only I get to call her a 'dumb bunny.'" Rushing forward, the fox delivered a kick to the kneecap of the large cat. Normally it would not have caused him any pain and especially not any damage, but Nick had taken to learning the weak spots of most mammals at the Academy, making up for his size. Hitting just above the knee cap itself had caused a small separation. Not enough to damage the mammal but it certainly caused a large amount of pain.

Roaring at the offending strike, the tiger lashed out with his claws extended, trying to tear through the vulpine's flesh. His mistake was in ignoring the small bunny. Following her partner's lead, Judy lashed out with a powerful strike to the back of the tiger's already pained knee, causing the mammal to collapse to the floor momentarily. Nick used that moment to press his advantage, delivering an elbow to the tiger's neck just under the edge of the collarbone. The effect was immediate however the reflexes of the feline were as well. A large paw struck the fox sending him flying back, nearly smashing his head into a nearby column.

"NICK!" The anguished cry of the rabbit did nothing to rouse the vulpine who laid there unmoving. A blind rage overcame the lapine, her vision clouding with red. The tiger, who had been laughing at the injuries he had caused to the annoying fox suddenly found himself staring at what could only be described as a bunny from hell. The look of fire in her eyes chilled his blood. The sight of such a small mammal causing him to feel fear was almost laughable, but it was exactly what was happening.

The speed of her was almost too quick for him to follow but he certainly knew where she was when a foot landed across his cheek, snapping his head to the side. Another blow hit him beneath his chin, causing a fang to shatter and fly across the room. A flurry of kicks and punches landed one after another to his head, his neck, even his side. He felt as if nothing could make him feel worse when he felt teeth latch themselves onto his ear. Bellowing in pain, he shook wildly trying to free himself. Grabbing the female with both paws, he ripped her away from him, her mouth carrying part of his ear with her. He threw her towards her fox who was stirring at this point before staggering to his feet. He was beyond enraged at the two cops. They had taken out his crew, they had ruined his heist, they had hurt him, and they had even maimed him. He wasn't going to let them get away with it. Letting out a roar, he stood off against the duo who had risen up to face him.

Nick turned to Judy, smiling as she had calmed down although a little concerned at the blood she was spitting up which he could tell was not hers. "High and low?" A disturbing grin came over her face at the prospect of finally getting to use a move they had been practicing for a week. She nodded before taking her stance. Nick swept up behind her and raised her onto his paws. Throwing her up, she jumped at the peak of his arch and sailed towards the tiger who had turned his gaze skyward. Flashing his claws out, he prepared to slice the bunny in half as she landed. His mistake was in not keeping an eye on both mammals.

Nick, as he had thrown Judy up into the air, had already started sprinting towards the unsuspecting criminal. Due to his size, Nick knew he would not be able to effect him too much with a kick to the stomach or sweep of the leg, so he did what any indecent mammal would do in a fight. Sliding between his legs, Nick raised his arm and slammed it into the tiger's testicles. He continued his slide out from underneath the collapsing perp, only vaguely aware of the whimper coming from him. He turned in time to see Judy land with both feet extended on the top of his head, the impact slamming the tiger into the floor knocking him unconscious.

Nick stood and approached his mate before throwing his arm around her. "Two balls! Three strikes! You're OUT!"

Judy could only stare up at him. "Seriously, Nick?"

"...What?"

* * *

After the heist, the rest of the afternoon had gone rather smoothly. There were a few uncomfortable questions Judy had to go through in regards to having torn off part of the tiger's ear but Bogo had assured her it wouldn't be a problem. Surprisingly, she hadn't seemed too upset by what she had done although she did spend a long time in the bathroom cleaning out her mouth repeatedly. The Chief had given the two of them the rest of the day off, a standard procedure when going through an experience like the one they just had. Nick was perfectly fine with it already planning on spending time with his mate before having to go talk to Finnick that night. Judy however was not exactly thrilled. She wanted to continue the investigation even though it had already been turned over to detectives. Her job was done as Bogo stressed more than once before tossing her out of his office.

They had returned to the apartment, tired but happy with their performance. The two of them had gotten overly ripe during the whole situation and decided to use some of their free time to take an early shower. While both of them appreciated the look of the other, both of them were just too exhausted to really attempt anything. Settling for getting clean, the pair dried off and decided to lay down for an hour, hoping to get some energy back. Judy had already texted Trisha to come over around six as that was when she expected to be home but the added time made it a perfect opportunity to get a bit of shut eye before the bubbly bunny arrived. Nick was also expected at six. It was his first trip to Finnick's new apartment and he expected it would either be a short conversation or a long one.

Crawling under the covers, Nick wrapped his arms around his bunny and pulled her close. He had run through the fight a million times in his head since they had left the bank and each time he felt so grateful it had turned out the way it did. A few bruised ribs and a sore jaw was more than he could have hoped for after being swatted by the large tiger. He was shocked there had been nothing broken. Judy had escaped injuries altogether somehow but he wasn't going to question it, just pleased that she had been so lucky. They both sighed contently, happy to be in each other's arms, even if only for a little while.

The two felt they had barely closed their eyes before the alarm rang. Nick was thoroughly tempted to slap the snooze button but Judy beat him to it. "Finnick and Trisha can just be disappointed, right?" Nick wanted to agree but he knew it was not that simple which he despised. His old self would have gone back to sleep for a few hours before waking up and enjoying the naked body of his mate. But 'new Nick' had a sense of responsibility that really pissed him off.

"C'mon, lazy bunny. We have to get up." Judy groaned as she slid out of bed, her fox dragging her by the leg. The bunny's attempts to grab the sheets failed as her tired paws lacked the strength to grip anything.

"Niiiick...just come back to bed. I'll make it worth it." He smiled at the insinuation but he could see through the deception.

"We both know you're too tired for any of that, Fluff. Now get up. It's already five. Trisha will be here soon and I gotta meet Finnick." Grumbling, Judy unwrapped herself from the blankets and stood up. She moved to punch him although the fact that she was tired and not serious about it had it missing him completely, her arm swinging in the air harmlessly. A smirk was the only response she would get from the vulpine before he turned away to get dressed.

Judy decided if she was up she might as well get dressed too, although she wasn't looking forward to it. Gazing back at the bed longingly, she groaned while sadly waving goodbye. Nick watched her overly dramatic performance with an air of amusement. Normally he was the one who had to dragged out of bed but he suspected the fight had taken more out of her than she wanted to admit. Now that it had caught up to her, she was finding it difficult to fully wake up. It was something Nick was very familiar with and something he was going to tease her about for a long time, although he would have to hold off until she had woken up.

Judy settled for the first thing she found in her closet. Fortunately it was one of her favorite outfits, her pink farmer shirt and a pair of tight cutoff shorts. She knew it was something that tended to get Nick's hormones revving so she wore them to get revenge for waking her up. If she was going to suffer by not getting any sleep, he was going to suffer by not getting any of her.

Seeing her walk out of their bedroom, his eyes took in her outfit and widened. "That is so not fair, Carrots." She winked at him and moved towards the fridge, looking for something to drink. Sliding up behind her, Nick grasped her hips with his claws while she was bent over. Her ears sprang up enjoying the sudden attention. Wiggling her rear against him, Judy was pleased to hear a sharp intake of breath from her mate. Choosing a bottle of carrot juice, she spun around quickly, disengaging his claws from her waist. Giving him a sly smile she headed towards the counter to get a glass, flicking her tail mischievously. She was doing everything in her power to get him worked up, both of them knowing they did not have time to satisfy either of their urges. "If we didn't have things to do, I would be bending you over that couch right now."

Taking a long drink, she turned back and slowly headed his way, swaying her hips purposefully, watching his eyes track her every movement. Getting right up next to him, she smiled as she reached and cupped him in her paw, reveling in how he closed his eyes, a quiet rumble coming from his throat. "But we do. So you can't." Giving him a quick squeeze she let him go, eliciting a whine from her fox. She skipped away into the living room before jumping onto the couch and turning the tv on. Footage of the bank robbery flashed on the screen and Nick realized no matter what had been happening before he had lost her to the news. It was rather amusing that she paid such close attention to incidents that she had been right in the middle of.

Outfitted in his old hustler getup, the khaki pants and his green silk shirt that reminded him so much of his childhood home, he headed over to the couch and leaned in to give her a soft kiss between her ears. "I'm heading over to Finnick's now. You gonna be okay?"

Looking up at her fox, she graced him with a loving smile. "Sure, Slick. But if you wouldn't mind..." Nick returned her smile and lowered his head down to hers. Rubbing his cheek along her neck, he scented her with his mark. It wasn't necessary to do it all the time since the scent would not fade for several days, but it comforted her to have him apply it at least a couple times a day, the same as her chinning did to him. Luckily the effect was not cumulative otherwise the entire precinct would be drowning in fox pheromones.

He headed towards the door when he heard her voice call out to him. "I'll save you some cricket lo mein." Turning back, his lips smacking at the idea of some delicious Chinese awaiting his return.

"I love you."

She looked at him stoically, giving off no emotion. "I know."

Turning to the door he suddenly stopped and looked back. "Did you just Han Solo me?"

* * *

A fist striking the wooden door at the entrance to his apartment had the small fennec hopping down from his couch. "Who is it?!"

The muffled response came through loud and clear thanks to his massive and sensitive ears. "Jeez Fin, how many other mammals did you invite over tonight?"

Muttering under his breath, Finnick headed to the door. Because of his modest income, he had only been able to afford a standard apartment for small sized mammals with no modifications to handle his diminutive stature. He had needed to make his own changes but after years of experiencing the same struggles he managed it pretty easily. Reaching the doorway, he pulled on a handle attached to a pulley system. He may have been a hustler most of his life, but Finnick was very accomplished in regards to minor engineering. It had been him putting his old van back together over the years, unwilling to spend the extra money or trust another mammal with his precious vehicle that had also served as his home.

The door swung open to reveal a lean fox in a gaudy shirt. "Rich pad, gambling winnings, hot bunny on your arm, brass shield on your chest, and you still wear that piece of crap?" Shaking his head the fennec turned and headed towards the kitchen. "Want a beer?"

"I always want a beer." Running his paw over his shirt, the red fox frowned at his friend. "And these shirts are extremely comfortable, thank you very much." He reached out to accept the bottle being handed to him. Popping the top and taking a swig, he fixed the small mammal with an angry glare, one that had absolutely no effect on the abrasive animal. "And eyes off my Carrots. You have your own bunny now."

"Yeah, umm, that's what I wanted to talk to you about actually." Nick had never seen his ex-partner so flustered, his paw rubbing the back of his neck with an embarrassed look on his face. Nick couldn't help but revel in his friend's discomfort. After years of being the brunt of the minuscule mammal's jokes, he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass on turning the tables. Deciding to drag him through the proverbial mud for a while, Nick leaned back against the wall, arms folded and a shit-eating grin on his muzzle.

"What's the matter, Fin? Bunny wearing you out? Gray fur and purple eyes a bit too much for you to handle?" Speaking from experience, Nick knew that gray fur and purple eyes really _could_ be too much to handle. He had a hard enough time some days just keeping up with Judy. Having been around her sister on several occasions, the fox could only imagine how much more chaotic Jessica could be.

"Well...sort of." That was the last thing Nick had expected to hear, the shock crossing his face for a few moments before he regained control over his expression. Luckily for him Finnick had been staring at the floor and had missed it.

"She hasn't been in Zootopia since the night of the concert. Surely you can't still be exhausted from that." Nick could tell it was something bothering him that wasn't physical. His comment had been made in jest which he knew his friend would understand and not take seriously. Although he was concerned at what he was seeing from the small mammal. It was leaving him baffled at how one of the toughest mammals he knew, both physically and emotionally, could have been brought to such a state. He hoped his little comment would snap him out of it.

Finnick merely shook his head, not taking the bait. He was feeling out of sorts, as he had been for over a week. He knew what was causing it but he didn't know how nor did he understand how to fix it. "It's not that, Nick. At least not in that way." He looked at his friend, noting the concern in his gaze. He had never been one to ask for help and he didn't want to start now. But Nick was the only mammal he knew in a similar situation as himself and he was also the closest friend he had. He was willing to accept the ribbing and the half-assed judgment in exchange for insight and a solution to his problem.

"Alright buddy. What's eatin' ya? Never seen you down in the dumps like this. Well, except that one time when your van broke down and you had t-"

"Don't you do it, Nick! We swore to never talk about that day and we ain't gonna start now." The vulpine gave him a smirk and mimed pulling a zipper over his muzzle. The small mammal sighed and looked back down at his paws. "I don't know if I'm ready for this, Nick."

At a bit of a loss where the conversation was headed, Nick came and sat down beside his friend at the other end of the couch. "Not ready to talk or...?"

Finnick gave Nick a look that immediately made the red fox feel stupid though his comment had been a legitimate one. He had always been able to do that to him even since 2nd grade, something which still pissed him to that day. "The relationship. With Jessica. It's getting too serious, too fast."

As the fennec had predicted, Nick gave out a barking laugh which put his teeth on edge. He had trouble containing a small growl that threatened to slip out but managed to keep it from escaping his throat. " _That's_ the big problem? You're scared of falling for a bunny?"

"Well _you_ did it, you little shit. So you tell me. How scared should I be of this bunny?" Nick realized he had a good point there. Rabbits may seem like cute, harmless animals, but they hid a crazy, energetic personality and were insatiable in bed, something both foxes were well aware of.

"Watch who you're calling 'little' small fry." Taking a serious tone, he addressed the problem head on. "Look Fin. You've already been inducted into being Jessica's love slave and apparently she's looking for a whole lot more than just that, _teddy bear_." The fennec's head snapped up, a look of fear on his face that quickly turned into one of pure rage.

"That name doesn't leave this room, Wilde!" It was something of a sensitive nature to the small mammal. On one paw, it was a sweet endearing nickname from the rabbit he was finding himself falling for more everyday which frightened him to no end. On the other, it was something that be used mercilessly against him if anyone found out, which his ex-hustling partner apparently had. "What the hell am I gonna do?"

"Well, the first thing you need to do is answer a question, one that is both the simplest and the most difficult you will ever face in your life." He stared hard at his old friend, looking him directly in the eye, trying to impress upon him the severity of the decision he needed to make. "Do you love her?"

"I-..." The question made Finnick pause. It was something he had been asking himself for the past week which never seemed to result in a definitive answer. "I don't know. I've never really been in a relationship before. I'm not even sure what I would look for."

"Never? Nah, that can't be. What about that arctic vixen you were seeing for a while?" It had been during one of their on-again, off-again periods where Nick would try to go straight for a while only to fall back on his old lifestyle where the money came easy and he got to hang with his oldest friend all day.

"Abigail? That was a con." Noticing the surprise on Nick's face he clarified. "It was during the time you were working at that golf course. Never understood why you hung around a bunch of snobby mammals walking around on grass but whatever. Anyways we were never together. I'm worried I'm gonna screw this up with that bunny."

"Screw it up? Jeez Fin. I've never seen you so worked up about anything like you are right now." He dropped the pretense and gave him a toothy grin. "Was the sex that good?"

"Dammit Nick. it's not about the sex. Well, that's not exactly true. The sex was phenomenal. But it's about messing it up with her. Just thinking about her makes my day brighter. I can't stop thinking about the little things like the touch of her fur or her short claws on my paw. I want to know what to say to her to make her feel special but I don't know how. And then I choke when I finally do talk to her. I miss her scent. That damn chin mark faded too quickly and she won't be back to Zootopia for weeks. When I see her on the phone it never fails to make me smile." He stopped at the look on his friend's face. "What?"

"Dude, you've got it _bad_." Finnick put his head in his paws and muttered the only word he could think of.

"Crap."


	23. Chapter 27 - Continuation, Revelation, Reciprocation, Retaliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So...story's doing good, huh? Nice numbers. Good stats. High views. Very nice. OH WHO AM I KIDDING, ITS FREAKING AWESOME! Today we're going to find out a little more about Trisha as well as see a 'new' ship. There will also be a section of heavy mature content. I wanted to put in a break but it ruins the flow so it will simply be an italic 'Explicit'
> 
> Disclaimer: So I found the Beast's magic hand mirror. Asked it to show me where the rights to Zootopia were stored. Turns out it's stored in a magic-proof vault hanging over a river of molten lava the artists drew. They do know that a picture of lava =/= real lava. Right? *shrug* Guess I'm going vault robbing.

All was quiet in the small apartment. The only detectable sound was of two canines breathing. One was breathing evenly, the signs of being calm and relaxed. The other was a different story. Fast and harsh breaths led to a conclusion of a mammal in distress. Holding his head in his paws, Finnick could certainly be described as distressed. "It's been a week, Nick. A goddamn _week!_ I shouldn't be feeling like this at all...right?" He looked hopefully at his friend, needing the answers he desperately craved though knowing he may not like them.

Shaking his head, Nick could only gaze at his friend in a mixture of pity and happiness which may have confused other mammals and certainly did Finnick. "I don't have any answers for you, Fin. I fell in love in forty-eight hours though I was too stupid to understand. Too naive and too jaded to see what was right in front of me. You seem to have a better grasp of it on your own than I certainly did."

"That's cause you're an idiot." He snorted as his ex-con partner dramatically placed a paw over his heart with a hurt look that barely managed to conceal the smug look on his face. "Oh knock it off. I'm an idiot too."

Nick had never been one to hide his own amusement at the expense of others, even when it was someone he cared for deeply. The only difference between his new life and his old one was that he no longer found hurting other mammals and driving them to fail to be funny. Seeing a friend call themselves an idiot over relationship problems with a _bunny_ of all things was downright hilarious and there was no hiding the giant grin plastered all over his face. He may be in a relationship with a bunny of his own, but he was on the successful side of the aisle, although he was sure he looked and acted exactly like Finnick was when he was first starting out with Judy.

"Look, bud. You're going to have to come to terms with this eventually. You like her, she likes you. And I know for a fact that she's taking this as seriously as you are." Finnick's morose stare suddenly cleared at hearing his words, hope shining in his eyes, something Nick had not seen before and frankly was unsettling to see from one of the few mammals in Zootopia he was scared of. "If you decide you don't want to continue this because you're scared, I can promise you two things. One, you'll be making one of the biggest mistakes in your life and that includes the time you tried to sell those team jerseys you 'acquired' back to the same team they were stolen from at a bar because you didn't recognize the players."

"Hey, you know I don't follow soccer! How was I supposed to know who they were?"

Nick sighed at the conversation they had had a thousand times since he made that mistake years ago. "I know, Fin. Anyway, promise number 2, both Carrots and myself will not be the one to break it to Jessica. You will have to break that poor girl's heart on your own." The look of anguish on the small mammal's face at the thought of hurting the rabbit was enough to tell Nick how strongly he cared about her. He decided to do something he was fairly certain he would regret, especially once Judy found out, but he figured it would help both Finnick and Jessica find out where they were going with their shared future and if they truly wanted it to be with each other.

"Okay, Fin. I'm gonna help you." He struggled with himself but having already made the decision to assist his friend the struggle lasted a very short time. "Next week is the Winter Harvest festival in Bunnyburrow. Carrots and I will be going as will the entire Hopps clan. All 277 of em." Grinning at the mildly shocked look on the fennec's face, he continued on. "I want you to come along. This will give you a chance to hang out with Jessica and... _explore_ where you want to go with this. Just, promise me one thing. Don't make it all about sex."

Finnick's grin did not make Nick feel any better about his decision and made a mental note not to let Judy anywhere near her sister and Finnick that weekend.

* * *

"This apartment is _amazing_ Judy! How do you guys afford it? Do cops make that much money? Oooh, did you get a reward for the bank heist yesterday? Are you cops for hire? Seriously it's so big! Oh my god, you have _two_ rooms? Can I live here with you? Oh that would be so much fun! We could have late night girl talks and build couch forts and have pillow fights! This kitchen is so cool! My kitchen at home isn't even a kitchen. It's a microwave and a sink and a stove that has never worked. My landlord says he'll get around to it but that was two years ago-"

Judy just walked along behind the extremely animated brown bunny, smiling and shaking her head. She had been like this ever since she entered the apartment, bouncing around to everything and exploring everywhere, though Judy had to block her from entering Nick and her's shared bedroom. It wasn't exactly clean and still smelled a lot like a mixture of fox and rabbit after the several hours of intimacy from the night before. So far Judy had been unable to find the off switch for the little rabbit even though she kept looking. Instead she merely waited for her to run out of juice, something easier said than done as Trisha apparently did not have a limit. After several more minutes of examining everything she could find, including the dishwasher for some reason, Trisha finally seemed to decide there wasn't anything else to explore even though she was itching to check out the room where the 'magic' happened, something Judy forbid, the room being special to her in more ways than one.

A knock on the door distracted both mammals before the gray one moved towards it, grabbing her wallet as she went. Trisha held back, concern evident on her face. While she worked around cops and firefighters all day, she also lived in a relatively unsafe neighborhood, one where door chains and peepholes were a necessity, not a courtesy. She had been trying to find a place to live for quite a while but everything in a better neighborhood was more than she could afford. Her act of confidence when she moved and the fact that mammals knew she worked at the cop bar a little ways off kept her safe but she knew it might only be a matter of time before someone tried something stupid and she got hurt or worse.

The sight of the delivery mammal had her fears easing quite a bit. It was hard to be afraid of a teenage sheep when standing next to the toughest cop in the city. Still it made her feel better once he had left and Judy had closed the door. Her usual bubbly self returning, Trisha rushed forward and snagged the two bags of Chinese food from the gray officer's paws. "Hey! Get back here, you!" Giggling madly, the brown bunny ran around the apartment with the food, all the while being chased by the much faster and more agile bunny cop. Unhindered by anything in her paws, Judy was able to close the distance much faster and neatly tackled her fleeing friend. In slow motion, they both watched the food fly into the air threatening to spill from the styrofoam containers. Trisha watched helplessly, ready to take full blame for ruining their dinner when a sudden flash of gray and white leapt from her back and snagged the two bags inches from the floor.

"How-...How did you _do_ that?!" The blue eyed doe could only stare in amazement at the reflexes of the mammal in front of her. "You're so _fast!"_

"Training. Workouts. Healthy diet. It's all part of the ZPD program that helps me train my body to be faster, stronger, and allows me full control over my muscles so I can accurately snag things like th-"

"You just got lucky, didn't you?" Trisha sat on the floor with a smug smirk, feeling she had pegged Judy.

"Yeah pretty much." Both rabbits laughed before grabbing a few plates and sitting at the kitchen island. There were several veggie platters that the two does quickly devoured and also a couple of pred side dishes she ordered for Nick that the two were curious about but the smell drove them back.

"I don't know how he can eat that stuff." Judy had no problem with what her mate dined upon. She knew he needed protein and as long as when he 'ate' her she didn't turn into _actual_ food she was just fine with his diet requirements. That didn't stop her from disliking the smell though.

"That's because you don't have the long tail and the sharp teeth in the relationship," Trisha reminded her, although she wasn't a fan of the smell either. The idea of eating bugs filled her with no less nausea than her friend. The two of them now sitting at opposite ends of the couch, their knees folded and turned to face each other.

"Is something the matter, Trish? You've been looking like you've had something to say but you keep stopping yourself." Judy reached out and placed her paw on the doe's knee. "You can talk to me about anything, Trisha. Alright? Unless it's about stealing Nick or something illegal that I have to arrest you for," she joked. A hint of a smile turned the edges of the brown bunny's lips up but it quickly vanished as a look of contemplation replaced it.

A deep sigh spilled from her mouth, the rabbit gathering her courage to say what she had been wanting to, embarrassing as it was. "I wanted to talk to you. Abo-...about..." She froze, unable to continue with what she was going to say. Looking up into Judy's face, she saw the patience in her eyes and the soft smile urging her to continue at her own pace. It made her feel a bit calmer although no less frightened. "... _sex."_

A look of shock replaced the calmness Judy had been portraying. This was not a subject she would have even put in the top twenty of what she thought Trisha might want to discuss though as a bunny she shouldn't have been all that surprised. Rabbits would constantly talk about sex, the males bragging about which does they had landed, the females gossiping about the different males they had been with or seen others with. It just didn't seem like something Trisha would be into doing. Deciding to play it safe in case it wasn't _exactly_ what she thought it was, Judy pulled out a favorite of many parents and old jokes. "Well you see, when a boy rabbit and a girl rabbit love each other very much..."

Outright laughing now, the tension between them broken, Trisha rolled around on the couch clutching her sides. "Not like that, you goof! I mean...sex...like talking about it, gossip, you know. That sorta thing." It was still embarrassing to admit she wanted to do this stuff with her friend but she was slowly becoming more comfortable as she admitted it out loud.

"I...sort of understand that. Can I ask why? I mean, that's an odd thing to talk about. Don't you do enough of that with your sisters?" Judy suddenly understood when her friend lowered her gaze, her eyes misting over and becoming quite sad. "You...don't have any sisters. Do you?" She shook her head slowly.

"Five brothers but no other girls." Feeling her own eyes tearing up, Judy reached out to wrap her arms around her. Bunnies were often very close to their siblings, especially litter mates, but there was a limit to how close you could get to siblings of the opposite sex, especially as they got older. There wasn't a way to bond over certain subjects or discuss them in a way they could be truly understood. Sex was one of the most important because of how it was the most intimate, and for a species rather open in regards to sex, it helped make those bonds stronger to share something so personal. Judy, who had many sisters near her age, had never experienced a separation like that and she suspected only her sister Sarah would really relate to Trisha.

"Highschool?" Judy asked timidly. Another place where female bunnies often discussed intimate details were with close female friends at school, their families being too close for secret gossip. Trisha shook her head, filling Judy with even more sadness.

"I wasn't very popular in school. Actually scratch that, I was a dork. One of the fringe mammals. I had no real close friends and those that did hang out with me only hung out _near_ me. No sleepovers for me. No late night parties. No dates. No nothing." Sitting back and wrapping her arms around herself, she sat shaking trying to hold back the soft sobs. "I've made friends here in Zootopia. My whole life changed when I got here. But you're one of the few females close enough that I can connect to and you're the first bunny. I just thought that... _maybe..._ I could finally have that close bond that I never got to have growing up."

Horrified at what she had caused her friend to dredge up, Judy scooted closer and pulled her back into a tight hug. Stroking her droopy ears, Judy began rocking her, trying to calm her down and stop the flow of tears. "Trisha, it's okay. I understand."

The brown bunny scoffed. "Understand. How could you understand? You have how many sisters? Hundred? Hundred and fifty? What do you think you know about it?"

"Well...I never really had one of those bonding moments either until about eight months ago. And even that was only because I started falling for Nick. I had been so upset when I fled back to Bunnyburrow that my sisters and my mother all cornered me and wouldn't give up until I talked, otherwise I never would have said a thing just like I hadn't for twenty four years."

Seeing her friend opening up and being so sincere in her words, Trisha believed her, her face becoming less angry and less sad and more joyful. "Why don't we have my first one and your first _proper_ one together?"

Judy smiled. "I think I would like that. Why don't you go first."

"Okay! Picture this, I'm working at the bar when in comes this big ol' painted dog..."

* * *

Even before stepping out of the elevator Nick could hear the screeches of laughter coming from the apartment down the hall, the one where his key fit and his uniform hung on it's hook. The place that he called his home that he shared with his mate. And, if the volume was anything to go by, his mate and her friend were still enjoying themselves. Getting ready to key the lock and let himself in, he noticed his neighbor Mrs. Rivers poking her head out.

"Evening, Mrs. Rivers," Nick flashed a genuine smile at the older mammal. He always had liked her, the two of them becoming fast friends regardless of their age difference and even the prejudice she had grown up hearing as a child about foxes.

"Hello, Nick. It seems you have company over." She gestured at the door and raised her brow as another squeal could be heard from inside and what sounded like a thud followed by a snort and more laughter.

Staring at the door as if it would suddenly disappear and he could view the chaos he was about to walk into, he turned back to the otter. "Yes. My mate was having a friend over and it appears to have gotten a bit out of control. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"Oh don't mind me, Nick. I'm not bothered by it at all. There's so little laughter on this floor these days. It does the heart good to hear a bit of merriment." She reached out and touched his elbow, giving him a soft smile. "Goodnight, Nick."

"Goodnight, Mrs. Rivers." Watching her retreat into her own apartment and close the door, the fox addressed his own and slid the key in, unlocking the entrance to his home. Pushing the door open gently, he took in the sight of the destroyed apartment, his jaw falling open in despair.

Nick was a very clean mammal. He would clean and brush his fur and tail daily. He always kept his vehicle spotless. His clothing hung immaculate in his closet. And his apartment, their _home_ , was always pristine. Now, he looked on it in horror. Empty Chinese cartons were scattered on the kitchen floor. His liquor cabinet was open and an open bottle of wine was on it's side, pooling liquid onto the counter top. Smudges of what looked like trampled food stained the living room carpet.

Stepping through the entrance, Nick closed the door behind him staring at the devastation. The sound of the laughter and continuous giggling led him to the hall and towards the guest bedroom. Turning into the first room on the left, Nick froze at the sight in front of him. Two bunnies were sprawled out on the bed, a couple of empty wine glasses on the bedside table. Leaning against the door frame, Nick decided to watch and listen to what was so funny, maybe to gain a better understanding of why they had trashed the apartment.

"So how big is it, really?" Trisha was having difficulty staying focused, her eyes wandering all over the place though her voice was not heavily slurred.

Judy on the other paw looked surprisingly clear headed, though a bit off kilter, swaying a bit threatening to fall over. "Well I did some research-"

"You would!" The two of them cackled again, rolling over the bed. After a few seconds Judy tried to settle them back down.

"Shh! Shhhhhh shhhh... Okay. So. I did some research and it's apparently average but 'average' to us is still _huge_." Nick wasn't sure what the conversation was about but he had a pretty good idea and he didn't think he was going to like it.

"What does it feel like? Did it...hurt?"

"The first time, yeah. But god, after that? It was amazing. And every time after." Nick put the pieces together and decided he was going to put an end to it when Judy suddenly got this look across her face, one he knew all too well. Deciding that it wouldn't hurt to eavesdrop on his mate when it was about him, he held back, moving just outside of the door so they wouldn't see him if they turned around.

Trisha had turned to look at her friend, hearing the happiness in her voice. She thought she saw a flash of russet fur slinking away around the corner but with her vision distorted she couldn't be sure what she was seeing. She waited for Judy to continue not wanting to interrupt her even though she was dying to hear it.

"It just feels like...I don't know if I-wait wait... It feels like I'm complete. I know me and him are meant to be, and like we're each other's other half, but when we're together, like _together_ together, it feels like we're really one being."

Trisha was staring at her, tears in her eyes as she pictured something like that for her. The words were beautiful even if they were said under the influence of half a bottle of wine. She felt like it was a perfect moment.

And then Judy turned to her and smiled evilly. "And damn doesn't it feel good." And suddenly, just like that, the spell was broken and they were back to giggling. "Oh and when I take the knot-"

"Well hello, you two." Nick decided the conversation had gone on long enough. He wasn't ashamed of coupling with his mate and frankly he was quite as open to discussing their sexual adventures as much as she was, but he knew that when Judy got to reminiscing about their 'activities' it caused her to get rather aggressive and while he wasn't opposed to that, he really did not like mating with her when one or both of them were intoxicated. It tended to get very awkward and ruin the moment. Luckily they had only experienced that once but it was not something they really cared to experience again.

As he anticipated, the two bunnies let out a small 'Eep' at the appearance of the fox. Both of them looked at each other, locking eyes before dissolving back into fits of laughter. "Hey sweetie. When did you get back?"

"Oh just a few minutes ago. Carrots...do you happen to know what happened to the living room? And the kitchen? And in here?" Looking around, the gray bunny looked confused until her eyes settled on the wine glasses.

"We um, we drank some wine?"

"And?"

"And um..." she took another glance around seeing a few stray dishes outside the entrance to the room. "We made a mess?" Nick raised a brow, pinning her under his gaze. "A big mess?"

Nick nodded. "That's right. And in the morning, you are going to be cleaning up everything. I'm not going to make you do it tonight since I don't want you throwing up all over the floor. Now help me get Trisha together. I'll drive her home while you go to bed."

Pouting, Judy looked like she was going to object but sighed and let her ears drop, admitting defeat. He had to admit she looked positively adorable but he was still upset and wouldn't give in to her cuteness. The two of them helped get Trisha standing before Nick helped her out of the room and down the hall.

"Alright Trisha, I'm gonna take you home now." The bunny swayed but remained standing, her eyes glazed. "Where do you live, Blue Eyes?"

Trisha grimaced at the idea of going home but it wasn't exactly like she had somewhere else she could sleep at. "The Pines Inn."

Nick paused, no longer helping her towards the door. He looked at the doe, his brow raising dangerously high. "You live at the Pines?" The bunny nodded glumly.

"What's going on, Nick?" Judy, hearing the quiet words between the two mammals, had come to investigate. The slightly alarmed tone in her mate's voice had her worried. Nick appeared to be in deep thought, not responding to either rabbit, his eyes perfectly still and untracking of anything around him. Judy laid a paw on his shoulder hoping to rouse him. "Sweetie?"

Shaking his head, he offered her a sad smile before clasping her paw with his. "It looks like we're going to have a house guest for tonight, Carrots." His mate was very confused by now. The wine was not helping her thought process. Turning towards the brown bunny, Nick made sure she was looking directly at him, wanting her to completely understand him. "Trisha? I would like it if you remained here for the night. I don't feel it's a good idea to take you back to the Pines in this condition or this late at night." Judy now understood but she felt as if she were missing a certain piece to the puzzle.

Blue eyes began to water at the offer. "I don't want to be any trouble, Nick. You don't need to put me up for the night."

"I know we don't _need_ to. I _want_ you to stay here. I'd feel much better knowing you were safe rather than letting you walk into god knows what out there." Overcome with emotion, Trisha could say nothing but chose to throw her arms around the vulpine, squeezing him as hard as she could. Judy felt herself bristle at the contact she was having with her fox, the alcohol inhibiting the control she had been working on for such a long time. She could sense it building within her, her efforts at controlling it failing miserably. Nearly at her breaking point, Trisha suddenly broke away from him and embraced her instead. The feeling of her friend's arms wrapping around her in gratitude wiped clear the emotional upheaval she had been experiencing.

Staring up at them through tearing eyes, Trisha choked back a sob. "Thank you. Thank you both so much."

"It's our pleasure, Blue. Judy, can you set up the spare bedroom for Trisha? I'm gonna pick up a little out in the living room before crashing." Heading back into the kitchen, Nick began picking up the discarded boxes and tossing them into the trash. He did find a container of the cricket lo mein she had promised to save him and decided he should probably heat that up before chowing down. A minute later, he pulled the now steaming carton from the microwave and started shoveling the food into his maw barely pausing to breathe. He hadn't eaten since lunch which had been a meager burrito from a sidewalk vendor. Not to mention the energy they had burned during the bank heist. _Was that really only a few hours ago?_ Nick felt the job was likely to kill him if an incident like that feels like it drained a week from his life.

"I got her the bedding. She went out like a light." Nick rotated to face his bunny, her step still a little wobbly but overall seemed to be handling herself well. "Mind telling me what that was about? I don't have a problem with her staying here for the night but I would like to have been asked first. You know I'm still... _learning_ to deal with this stuff and right now it feels like she's invading a bit." Getting up from his stool, Nick walked over to her and wrapped her in a big hug. She melted into his embrace, letting the feel of him comfort her until the scent on his clothes triggered her nose. "Ugh! Nick! You smell like those damn crickets. Get off."

Chuckling, he released her and stepped back to the island, retaking his seat and picking up his discarded fork. "To answer your question, my dear bunny, I didn't think it was safe to take her back home. Not intoxicated and not at night."

Cocking her head, almost exactly mimicking her mate's own look of confusion, she spoke hesitantly, not sure if she really wanted an answer to her inevitable question. "What's wrong with where she lives?" Remembering that the rabbit officer had not been in Zootopia for most of her life, nor having had to experience living in the truly awful areas of the city, he addressed the question carefully. Over the past week Nick had come to understand that Judy had taken up social drinking while he was at the Academy as a way to bond with some of her coworkers. She very rarely ever let herself get too far but a few of the stories their fellow cops were more than happy to recount to Nick had given him a bit of insight into how she handled her liquor. She was known to fly off the handle at even the mention of breaking the law. One such story had him busting a gut when she threatened to lock up someone for ten years when he missed a trash can with an empty bottle of water, even though he was moving to pick it up. Hearing about what happens at Trisha's apartment might just make her pass out.

"The Pines is a very seedy apartment complex. It's for very low income that is used most often in many rooms as drug labs where sales are conducted at the front door and tends to be filled with very nasty mammals, none of which would be above killing a small bunny like her simply for sport. There's been several murders on that street that usually end up as cold cases. It's a nightmare to even live on that block let alone in the actual building. I'm guessing the fact that she works at that cop bar gives her a bit of protection but coming home this late and slightly drunk is just asking for trouble. So I really would rather she stay here for now." Judy was speechless. The idea of such a place even existing was enough to drive her mad but knowing that her friend was forced to live their made it even worse.

"She's going to stay here, Nick."

"We already decided that, Carrots. Remember? Just a few minutes ago?"

"No. Not just for tonight. She's going to stay here until we can find her a better place to live." Nick reeled back a little. Putting her friend up for the night was one thing but having someone move in with them was quite another. Foxes did not just let someone into their den, especially once they had claimed a mate.

"I-but it's...I mea-I-..." His head fell in defeat. Looking back up at her and seeing the triumph in her eyes just made it feel all the more humiliating. "I'm not going to win this am I?" Walking forward, though still a bit clumsily, Judy grasped his cheeks and pulled him in for a short kiss.

"No, sweetie. You definitely are not. Now. Take a shower and then come to bed. We have work in the morning and I have a feeling I'm not going to be at my best when I wake up."

* * *

Trisha had been overjoyed to be told about her new temporary living arrangements. She repeatedly thanked the two of them to the point where Judy had to threaten to make her sleep in the lobby if she didn't calm down, although they all knew it was in jest. Trisha had given her a mostly silent hug, her tears and the occasional squeak escaping her. Showering was a bit more awkward for the brown doe as the two mates decided that even if Trisha was going to stay with them for the time being they were not going to let it disrupt their normal behavior. Seeing the two mammals enter the bathroom at the same time and leave in the same manner, their fur still slightly damp, both dressed in their uniforms made her feel as if she were invading their privacy, to which she reminded herself that she was in fact doing just that.

Using the shower directly after them was an interesting experience. There was a certain musky odor permeating the room left behind by the red fox. It was strong but not overly unpleasant. What was difficult to ignore was the obvious smell of aroused bunny that had Trisha blushing at the thought of what had happened in there. She was no stranger to sex which Judy now knew, their discussion having lasted a long time mainly due to her own stories of past exploits. She remembered that conversation fondly. Even if it had started out awkward for the two of them, it had quickly became one of the bonding experiences they had both always wanted to experience.

While Trisha was using the shower, the two other mammals in the apartment were having a bit of a disagreement on the wisdom of having another stay with them. "Look Carrots, I appreciate that she's your friend, but isn't this a bit fast even for you? I mean you barely know her. You've talked with her at the bar for what? 10 minutes? 20 minutes each time? And you've only been there _maybe_ a dozen times altogether? And now after _one_ get together you're ready to have her stay with us? Doesn't that seem a bit odd of a decision?"

"Well what would you have me do, Nick? Send her back to live in that hell hole you told me about last night? The one where she could be hurt or worse at any given point." Halting the brushing of her ears, she reached for his paw and interlocked them, bringing them to her lips and kissing his softly. "Nick. She's alone and in danger if she continues to stay there. The fact that she is friends with cops is only going to keep her safe for so long."

Picking up his mate, he brought them to their bed and pulled her into his lap. Handing her a brush with slightly longer bristles he then wrapped his tail around her waist, settling it in her lap. Taking the one she had been using, he moved it to her tail. They began their morning ritual of brushing each other's tails. It was a show of trust and affection for foxes to let a mate brush their tail, and while both of them understood the significance of it, they each secretly just loved touching the other's tail. Judy for how soft his was, and Nick for how fluffy hers was.

"I just don't like the idea of sending her back there, sweetie. She may be a new friend but she still _is_ my friend. And both as a friend _and_ a cop, I can't let her be put back in harms way simply for our convenience." Running her paw through the red and black fur of his long tail, she dug her digits in, enjoying the feel of the surprisingly soft fur. Nick shuddered at the attention she was giving him, the act sending tingles through his whole body.

"It's totally not fair to have any important discussions when we're like this, Fluff. I can't think with your paws doing that to me." He wasn't able to see her face, but he could almost sense a smug grin on it. _Two can play at that game._ Setting aside his own brush, he tweaked her tail eliciting a high pitched squeak from his mate, the bunny trying to flee before he caught her around the waist and hauled her back to him. Planting his head in between her ears, he nuzzled down into them finding his comfort spot. "She can stay, Carrots. But only until she finds a new place. One that's safer. If necessary I'll front the security deposit if it helps her."

Squealing happily, Judy yanked away from him and started jumping on the bed. He sat watching her with amusement until she turned and jumped on top of him causing the air to rush from his lungs from the impact. She may only be half his height and weigh even less, but she tended to be surprisingly solid whenever she would do that. "Thank you, sweetie. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. I'll let her know the rules, I'll make sure she takes out the trash. Makes her bed. Everything."

Nick started laughing, picking up his bunny and holding her high overhead. "She's a grown rabbit, Carrots. She's not our adopted kit. And no, don't even think about it." The excited look on her face died in a playful pout, her eyes twinkling in suppressed laughter. Lowering her down, the two shared a kiss, one that deepened immediately. Judy's tongue played at his lips, asking for entry, something he gratefully granted. Her small tongue slid along his longer one, the two dancing around, running along the other's teeth. Nick started growling, the deep rumble in his throat being matched be the bunny's own. Already being dressed for work did not concern either mammal as her paws strayed to the buttons on his shirt while his moved to her belt.

A sudden knocking on their door jolted them from what they had been trying to accomplish, their instinctual urges temporarily overriding their common sense. "Probably might want to re-button that shirt, Slick." Though they been interrupted, Judy had lost none of her playfulness with the vulpine. Leaping up, leaving her mate staring at her fluffy tail and in a hardened state, she moved towards the door and opened it a crack. "Hey. What do you need, Trisha?" Her tone was one of concern and not annoyance. In the past, being interrupted, especially in their beginning days, would have caused Judy to lose her cool in a big way. She had almost physically attacked her own father because of one such occurrence. After having become true mates, her self-control had been much easier to handle if they were interrupted, although it got worse the further along they got.

"Hey, um. I know this is, uh, this whole thing is pretty awkward right now? But um, I was wondering if I could borrow a shirt? And maybe some pants? You see, I didn't bring any extra clothes and mine got stained from the food and the wine and then I slept in them and I mean if you don't want to that's fine I can just wear them until I get home and get my stu-"

"Trisha!" The yell cut the bunny off guard, stopping her insanely fast talking mid-stream. "It's fine, Trisha. I'll be glad to loan you some clothes. It's not a big deal, honest." Moving towards her closet, she stopped and went back to the door. "It would probably be a good idea if I brought them to the other room. I don't need my fox seeing another bunny in a towel." At this Nick's ears perked up and he opened his mouth to pant, sending Judy a playful wink. Trisha retreated, apologizing profusely which Judy assured her was not necessary. Shutting the door, Judy grabbed a pair of his pants off the floor and chucked it at him, the leg wrapping his now laughing face. "You jerk!"

"Oh come now, Carrots." Sitting up, he moved off the bed and stepped behind her. Reaching around and wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her into him, swaying back and forth slowly. Judy laid her head back against his stomach, closing her eyes and moving her body with his. "I've only got eyes for you, my little bunny love. No one else. Not now, not ever again." Running her paws over his arms, she began to purr softly. She so desperately wanted him right then but she knew they needed to go soon and she had to get Trisha her clothes.

Reluctantly breaking away, she gave him a look, both sad and burning. "Head on down to get the car ready. I'm gonna give Trisha her clothes and bring her down. I'll let her use the Blueberry to get her stuff and we'll take your car to work. What?" Judy looked on in frustration as Nick began snickering uncontrollably.

"You said 'Blueberry'!"

She paused before slamming her paw into her face. "Oh pickled carrots."

* * *

The ride to work was uneventful, something the duo had differing opinions on. Judy kept her head on a swivel, looking at anything and everything for signs of criminal activity. Nick was simply content to sip his coffee and meander between the slower cars on the road. Deciding to heed his mate's advice, Nick had lowered his caffeine intake for the morning. He was currently on his second cup using the travel mug she was always so insistent on. It was doing absolutely nothing and left him tired and cranky, but he wanted to make her think it was helping. He would have to resort to sneaking a few extra cups throughout the day to give himself some energy.

They were getting close to the time they were due in the bullpen so unfortunately Nick's special spot at the door was already taken. Settling for a spot near the end of the line of civilian cars, he made sure it was far enough away from the cruisers that there would be no chance of getting any mud splashed onto his baby at the end of the shift. Following Judy inside, he glared at the offending black SUV, the back window covered in those family character stickers. The Han Solo dad and the Darth Vader kid kept him from clawing the car, but only just.

Clawhauser's squeal greeted them at the door, as it did every morning. They had never entered when Lylah and Tammy did so they weren't sure if he made that noise for all couples or just reserved it for the two of them. Whatever the case may be, it was always a welcome sound knowing that no matter what happened there would always be Clawhauser to wish them a good morning. Judy skipped along at her usual pace, her voice all bubbly as she called out to the dispatcher. "Sorry Ben, we're a bit behind. We'll catch up later, okay?" Unable to speak around the three donuts he currently had in his mouth, the cheetah settled for giving her a thumbs up and a spray of crumbs as he tried to respond.

Opening the door to the bullpen usually resulted in being slightly deafened until adjusting to the overwhelming noise coming from the large mammals, especially to the small bunny whose hearing was off the charts compared to the rest. After being greeted each morning by the chaos, Judy had learned how to ignore and drown out most of the noise. For Nick though it was always a challenge. He would never outright show his discomfort, but the slight twitch of an ear or the minuscule flick of his tail would tell his mate he was definitely bothered. Her method to help was always the same. She would have the two of them climb up onto their shared chair and she would subtly brush her paw along his tail, making sure no one else was aware of it. It would always settle him quickly and he would join right in with the conversations around him.

Tammy and Lylah sat across the aisle from them. The two of them having bore the brunt of the teasing from yesterday were now openly showing their affection. The occasional brush of a tail along their back, a paw running down an arm, claws lightly scratching behind an ear. None of it went unnoticed by the smallest officer who was very pleased to see the two of them so comfortable with each other that they could be so open about it. There were also several other officers who noticed, although many of them simply acknowledged it and moved on. She saw one or two glances of disgust sent towards the couple and Judy noticed they were from the same mammals who had the same looks for Nick and herself. Just like how they ignored them, the bunny also saw Tammy register one of the looks and then ignore it completely, choosing to spend her time with the tigress instead of dealing with the bigot.

Another thing she noticed was the return of Wolford, once again in the bullpen after being on undercover work. Yesterday he had been delivering reports before heading back out, but something must have happened for him to be there two days in a row if he was still on assignment. Nick had hopped down from the chair and was currently chatting with the timber wolf. Judy could hear only a few words over the din in the room but she caught enough to know he was giving the wolf a rundown of the bank heist yesterday. By the smiles on both of their muzzles, it appeared they were enjoying the story. Nick reliving it and Wolford getting the inside story. Judy was proud of the way her mate had handled himself during the event. It proved that he could be an officer worthy of the shield and one that she wouldn't hesitate to ever work with.

The sudden commotion from the front and the pounding of paws and hooves on the tables had Nick scrambling back to his desk as Chief Bogo entered the room, his eyes squarely on the podium. Looking down at his notes for several seconds, longer than he normally would, allowed Nick an opening to scramble up on top of their seat. Almost as if he were giving the vulpine a chance to avoid getting called out and punished, it was astounding how Bogo seemed to concentrate until the second after Nick had settled into his seat, something that did not go unnoticed by several officers who raised their brows and shared glances.

"Three things on the docket this morning. McHorn, Delgato. You'll be working in Sahara Square. There was a second bank robbery alongside the one yesterday. No hostages and no injuries. They hit the safety deposit boxes instead of the cash. Assist their precinct, find out what was stolen and get a description of the mammal responsible." Bogo looked over towards the back of the room. "Pennington, you and Fangmeyer are to head to Meadowlands. We've gotten reports of some sort of cult meeting up in the woods at dark. I want you to find the area and get ready for night surveillance." Fixing his gaze on the two smallest members, he scrutinized them for a few moments. "Wildes. You're going to take over case of the jewelry heists in the Rainforest District. I want this mammal found. Everyone else, standard patrols. Dismissed."

Everyone started to file out, each ready to hop in their cruiser and get on the road. Judy put out a paw and laid it on Nick's arm signaling for him to stop. "Why don't you go get the car ready. I'm gonna talk to Francine and get the file along with any notes she may have." Nick simply winked at her and gave her a small kiss between the ears as he continued on. Judy scrambled to avoid some of the larger feet stomping around them before reaching her elephant friend. "Francine!"

"Hey, Wilde! How are things this morning?" Francine had never quite forgiven herself for the way she had handled the situation where Judy had almost died due to her ignorance and unwillingness to believe her fellow officer.

"I was just wondering if you had the jewelry store robberies file."

"Got it right here." Holding up the manila file, she handed it to the small mammal. "I wish we had more to go on but maybe you and the fox wonder can get some answers."

"Thanks Francine." Taking the file, Judy started to skip out behind the elephant when the sight of Nick's mug on the table had her reversing course. _Ugh, I swear he does this stuff on purpose._ She was always having to remind him of certain tasks or pick up after him. Simple things like his mug or maybe a book he left behind on the couch. Leaping up, she grabbed the mug but the file slipped from her paw and scattered all over the floor. _"_ Oh boiled broccoli." Bending down, she started picking up the papers making sure to arrange them in the proper order, that is until the door swung open once again.

The sound of two mammals entering the room had her freezing instinctively. Unknowingly crouching down further, her ears picking up the smallest sounds such as claws scraping across the floor. Knowing that at least one of them was a predator, she waited for something to happen.

"Okay, the room is clear." _That's Wolford's voice._ "What did you want to talk about that we had to be alone?"

"You know what, Freddie." _That...is that Liz?_ "That little stunt of yours yesterday. What were you thinking? You could have ruined everything!" Judy, who had known she should probably announce that she was there and leave the two to their business, suddenly found herself innately curious to see where this was going. She was usually behind most of the precinct when it came to gossip and now she would be the first in the know even if it wasn't very juicy.

"It was just a joke, Liz. Why is it such a big deal? Everyone laughed and no one suspected anything. It was harmless."

"Maybe, but we don't need the extra scrutiny right now. With the Wildes being so open about it and now Forrest and Thompson, the rumor mill is gonna be churning out copies on overtime. We can't afford the attention. Not if we want to continue this." There was a pause before a slightly choked voice spoke up. "You...you _do_ want to continue this. Don't you?"

Judy heard a shuffling of paws before curiosity got the best of her. Slinking forward on her belly, she could see the wolf's paws standing directly in front of the striped legs of the tigress. Moving in closer, she could just see the two of them without being seen herself. Wolford had his arms around her, holding her tight while hers wrapped around him pulling his head into her chest. Judy could see a slight darkening of her fur on her cheeks, a sign she was softly crying.

"Of course I do. I love you, Liz." Judy had to clamp a paw over her mouth and bite down to keep from imitating Clawhauser's squeal from that morning. She watched as they brought their heads together, pressing their lips against one another before pulling back and resting forehead to forehead. "We _will_ have to be more careful, I know. It was far easier when I was Tammy's partner."

"Tammy's...why?"

"Well, the other wolves would smell feline on me, especially after we would spend a few nights out of our own beds," he waggled his brows at the tigress who smiled and flicked his nose, "but since I was Tammy's partner, I was able to convince them it was just from being around her and since she doesn't swing that way it pretty much erased all suspicion. Now I gotta figure something else out. Either that or it won't be long until someone figures out what's going on."

"You're right." Sighing, the big cat leaned in close and gave him a lick on the top of his muzzle. "This has just been a great last few months and I don't want to lose that." Wolford looked up at her, a smile forming on his muzzle. Beckoning her closer, she leaned down. Expecting a kiss, she closed her eyes. Instead, she felt a claw poke into her nose.

"Boop."

Her eyes flew open wide. "Did you just..."

* * *

It had taken several more minutes for the lovebirds to finish up their little tussle after Wolford had booped her on the nose. Fangmeyer obviously had the size and the strength, but Wolford proved he was more devious, using his smaller size to twist her the way he wanted. Eventually she had landed on her back dragging the wolf on top of her. Judy had needed to flatten herself to the ground behind some of the larger chair legs to avoid being seen but she needn't have bothered. The two predators were far more interested in tangling tongues than looking around to see if a bunny was hiding in the room. Eventually they had given up and, after straightening their uniforms, had left the room, each heading towards their own assignments.

Judy had waited a couple extra minutes before she too left, just to make sure Liz and Freddie had moved on and would not spot her coming out from the room behind them. That would have raised several questions, ones she wasn't certain she could answer. She felt guilty about leaving Clawhauser after promising to talk to him after the briefing, but she was afraid she would blurt out the details of the other interspecies couple in the ZPD when they obviously wanted to keep it a secret, at least for now. Instead she settled for sprinting for the garage as fast as she could.

Luckily, when she had told Nick to get the cruiser ready, he had done exactly that. Already running directly in front of the exit door, Judy didn't need to do anything except climb in and buckle up. She handed over his mug and the file, letting him browse through it, absorbing all the information he needed to complete the case. In a few moments they had left the garage and began their trek towards the Rainforest District.

Nick read through the file noting the additional comments left by Liz and Francine. It appeared that all eyewitnesses described the same thing. A small mammal that moved quickly and would disappear into the trees once out of sight. Surprisingly there was no mention of the species. Either this mammal was quick enough to not give away their identity, or they used some sort of distraction that kept people from focusing too much on them. "What do you think about this case, Carrots? No wonder Francine and Liz had trouble with this. Gives us barely nothing. Stores have no pattern, anything taken is different from the others stores, and we have no clear suspect." Hearing nothing, Nick looked over to see his partner deep in thought, a look of warring emotions playing across her face. "Carrots?"

"Huh? What?" Knocked from her thoughts, Judy refocused on her partner's attempts to get her attention. "I was just...I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

Closing the folder, Nick placed it on the dash and set his coffee down in the cup holder, freeing himself from all distractions. "Alright, spill."

Hey eyes darting frantically between the road and anything but him, she stammered out a response, trying to keep as calm as possible. "Spill? S-spill what? I don't know w-what you're talking about. I d- you know what, you spill! I know what you're doing, so you're hiding something, so you spill!" He fixed her with an amused smirk, folding his arms over his chest. Staring unblinking at her, his expression never changing, had her mind going in circles. She needed to tell someone what she had seen and nobody was around but him. "Okay! I'll spill but you have to swear you won't tell anyone."

Nick held up his digits, giving the old scout salute. "I swear, Carrots. One hundred percent."

She eyed him, knowing that making an oath under that salute meant that he would never break that promise. It was something she admired about him and always made her feel that she could trust him. "Freddie and Liz are a couple!" She practically screamed it inside the tiny car, making herself go slightly deaf for a few seconds. She waited for Nick to freak out or smirk or grin or do _something_ , but all he did was simply stare at her, his expression completely blank. "Nick?"

"I already knew that."

"You already knew...you WHAT?!" Suddenly beside herself, Judy had trouble keeping herself from reaching over and hitting him. "I've been struggling with that ever since we left the precinct and you already _knew?"_ Deciding to try and calm down, she smoothed her ears down her back and took a few breaths. "Nick," she said sweetly, "how did you already know?"

A little disturbed by the several mood changes in seconds, he was cautious about answering. Slowly, piecing his words together carefully, he explained to her about yesterday. "When they were teasing Whiskers and Furball, you remember that part? Well, when they moved on to us and then Francine asked if anyone else was harboring a secret relationship and Freddie jumped on Dwayne's back? Liz had this look of irritation on her face, not one you would see if you were simply annoyed by the rest of the group. It was a more personal one. And then when Freddie jumped down and looked at her, he looked sheepish and a bit sad. He also mouthed 'sorry' before her face relaxed into a soft smile. One that I usually see on your lips, Carrots." Glancing over at her, he could see a look of shock on her face as he described so much more than she, or anyone else for that matter, saw yesterday. "I told you, Carrots. I learned to read mammals very early. It kept me alive many times."

A somber mood fell over her, remembering the few times he had revealed some of his earlier trauma in his life. "Why didn't you tell me, Nick?"

"Well I think that would be obvious." A questioning raised brow had him rolling his eyes. "To protect their privacy. It's why you didn't want to tell me, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah that's true." Reaching over, she grabbed his paw. "I can accept that. Okay, you're off the hook. We'll bury the FangFord thing for now."

"Wolfeyer."

"What?"

"The ship. It's Wolfeyer."

"Why do you get to come up with the name?"

"I didn't. That's just the official name."

"...Sometimes you're just too weird, sweetie."

* * *

"So what are we looking for? I vaguely recall you saying we have no patterns and no profile of the suspect." Nick thumbed back through the file, taking out the notes from Fangmeyer. "'Suspect is between two and three feet tall. No species identified by any eyewitness accounts. One mammal reported seeing a stripe on it's back but nothing definitive.' Guess we're on our own with this one, Carrots."

"Well, we're gonna have to go back to the beginning. We'll interview some of the shop owners. See if they have any...surveillance..." Nick, hearing her voice drop off, looked over in concern. Her stare was blank, her mouth hanging open, forming a word with her lips but no sound.

"Carrots?" Placing a paw on her shoulder he gave her a little shake. "Carrots, are you alright?"

"Jam-cams." It came out only as a whisper, but her eyes became brighter. She turned towards him and grabbed him by his uniform, shaking him slightly, sending his glasses flying off his nose and to the floor. "Jam-cams! We can use the jam-cams to see what was going on! Maybe there will be a pattern or their escape route or maybe even their face!"

"Well look at you. Sly bunny to the core. I have taught you well, young padawan." Nick pretended to swing an invisible sword around. Judy, familiar with his crazy games, threw out her paw, pretending to force push the fox up against the window. Nick let himself fly back, playing the part well although he miscalculated and hit his shoulder on the side of the door sending a shooting pain down his arm. "Gah!"

"Nick!" Judy slammed on the breaks, pulling over onto the side of the road. "Are you hurt?"

"Just my pride." Grimacing, he tried to roll his shoulder only to gasp in pain. "And my shoulder. Possibly my spine. Oh no. I shall be paralyzed for life! Whatever shall I do? Will my bunny take care of me?"

Judy scoffed, rolling her eyes. "In your dreams, fox. I'll trade you in for a new model. Maybe a wolf. Something a little more durable." She took off again, heading for the border between districts. The access for the jam-cams would be back at the precinct and they wanted to get this mammal now.

"That pains me, Carrots. I thought we had something special. A _bond_ between us." Nick waggled his brow, knowing he was playing with fire. Either he was going to get burned or be kept warm for a long time.

"A bond, huh?" Looking at him with fire in her eyes, she found a turn off and pulled into it. Following the short path deeper into the brush, she parked the cruiser and turned it off. Unbuckling, she keyed the radio. "Z240 to dispatch. Going 10-7." Turning off the radio without bothering to wait for a response, she moved over the center console into her mate's lap. "What sort of bond are we talking about?" Leaning down, she kissed him softly, quickly pushing in harder.

Pulling back, Nick gestured to his injury. "Watch out, Carrots. My shoulder, you know?"

"Nick?"

"Yeah, Fluff?"

* _Explicit*_

"Shut up." Capturing his lips with her own, Judy spread herself over his body. She wanted desperately to feel him, to press her fur up against his and share the warmth of their two forms. Situating her hips, she ground down onto his lap, enjoying the purr-like rumble coming from his throat. Reaching a paw around the back of his head, she grasped tight onto his fur, pressing herself harder into his lips. Feeling his paw reciprocating, Judy let out her own moan, the vibrations causing both mammals to feel it. Without conscious thought, they opened their lips simultaneously, each letting their tongues snake forward to tangle with the other. Small licks along Nick's fangs had him pushing his own tongue further, sliding along the roof of her mouth. They both were moaning loudly, each of them trying to drag the other deeper into the kiss.

It was Judy who broke away first. Nick's startled expression and look of disappointment did not last long, feeling his mate's paw sliding down his chest to where his slacks met his shirt. Pulling gently, slowly, she untucked the fabric, letting the tail ends drape over him. Almost as if relieving a great pressure, he leaned back and sighed contently. His reprieve lasted only a moment as Judy leaned forward and brought their lips together once more. Focusing on the feel of her lips, Nick was unaware of another action taking place. One where Judy was taking things further. Her paws were working on freeing the buttons of his shirt. In her mind, they were simply an obstacle between her and what she wanted, no, _needed_ at this point. It took much of her restraint not to simply tear the shirt apart, rip it from his body altogether, but a rational part of her mind knew that he needed it for later. For them to come back with him missing some clothing would arouse more suspicion than she cared to deal with.

Each button removed meant one step closer to his fur, something she knew both of them would appreciate. Nick had finally realized something else was happening. The sensations along his chest were enough to override the feel of her lips on his, though it did not help with his desire to stay right where he was. Starting to pull away, he felt one of her paws retreat from his chest and grab the back of his head. Pulling him tight with a strength that he had rarely felt from her, she harshly shoved her tongue into his mouth. His arousal skyrocketed, feeling the tiny licks return, their lips still joined, her hips still rocking against his. He didn't even notice that she had removed her paw and resumed unbuttoning his shirt. Finally the last button was free and his shirt lay open in the front. Pulling away, she looked deep into his eyes while her paws slowly moved the shirt over his shoulders, pinning it back behind his neck. Running her digits through the coarse fur of his chest, she chirred happily. Leaning forward, she nuzzled into his neck, embracing the heavy musk of his arousal, painting it onto her fur. Wrapping her in his arms, he hauled her deeper into him, letting her drink in his scent. "Is this what you want, Carrots?"

Her rocking into his hips picked up speed, her grinding motion pressing harder into him, rewarded by the feel of a large bulge forming beneath her. Bringing her paws down to her waist, she quickly stripped herself of her belt. Holding it in the air for him to gaze upon, she let it drop and fall out of sight on the driver's side of the cruiser. Whispering into the side of his neck, she told him both what she wanted to say and what he wanted to hear. "I don't want this, sweetie. I _need_ it. I have to have you." Pressing her lips to his neck, she began kissing along his jawline, working up to his ears where she gave him a few nibbles eliciting a pleased panting from the fox. "I can't stop this, Nick. And I know you won't refuse me. All I ask is that you love me and that you let me love you." Returning to his neck, she bit him lightly, earning several moans of pleasure from her strapping fox, moans that filled her heart with passion.

Feeling his long claws reach for the straps holding her vest onto her body, she arched her back, making it easier to reach them. With practiced paws, he deftly removed the protective gear and gently placed it beside them. Judy immediately leaned forward, letting her chest push up against his. Resuming their previously abandoned kiss, Judy let her paws travel down his chest towards his stomach, the cream colored fur becoming very soft the lower she went. In only a few short moments, moments that seemed to stretch on forever, the young doe reached the top of his pants, where a belt rested just begging to be removed. She granted that request, sliding the constricting article free. Rather than simply drop it to the floor, she raised it up and lowered it behind his neck. With a paw holding each side, she smiled at him, a look of mischief in her beautiful violet eyes. Nick, unsure where this was going as this was a first for both of them, waited with baited breath. Pulling on both sides of the belt, she dragged him forward until she directed him to her neck. His instincts took over as he planted light kisses and dragged his long tongue over her fur. Raising her hips slowly he moaned in despair, feeling her leave him. Once at her peak however, she dropped them back down softly. A grunt of approval from the mammal she clutched to her throat had her raising up once more. Gaining a slow and steady rhythm, rising and falling onto his lap, had them both panting. Without even thinking, Nick opened his maw and latched down around her throat. Instantly, her movements stopped and her eyes went wide. Nick, who was concerned he may have hurt her, started to release when he felt her paws grab his muzzle and hold him tight. Grinding down onto him, she rotated her hips almost urgently. Pressing his muzzle together, she indicated for him to bite again and this time harder. With that action and a few more rotations of her hips, the doe began trembling, her whole body shaking powerfully as a low moan started deep within her and built until it's release. Knowing she had just had a small orgasm, he pulled back and searched her eyes for a sign.

When her eyes finally opened, the searing heat of her gaze was all the sign he needed. She lunged for him, catching his head in her paws and roughly hauling him forward, pressing her lips to his with an urgency that shocked even her. Pulling back at the intensity of her own actions, a look of surprise flashed across her eyes before it was replaced with a pleased appearance, one that caused her eyes to become half-lidded, a sultry smile taking over. Reaching down, she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled the skin tight fabric over her head. It joined the growing pile of her clothes in the driver's seat. Leaning over him, she beckoned him to lean closer before pulling him into her naked chest. The licks from his long tongue had her shivering with arousal. With each nuzzle, she grew more and more wet. She could no longer take it. Gripping his cheeks with both paws, she raised him to meet her gaze. "Pants. Now."

Nick needed no further words, raising his hips to unzip the last remaining piece of his uniform save for the tie she always made sure to leave around his neck. Sliding his pants down was a bit more tricky with an overly eager bunny grinding down on top of him non-stop. At last they slipped over his thighs and down his legs. He managed to slip them off over one foot before Judy attacked him again. Now that his legs were free, she resumed her motions on top of him, increasing the rubbing of their joined hips, her body making sure to stimulate his trapped foxhood. After having endured so many sensations and having his arousal driven higher and higher, he now found himself in a very desperate position. The feelings of her rubbing along him was agonizing. Ready to return the favor, he let himself grin evilly. With her face pointed to the roof of the car as she rode his hips, heightening her pleasure, she didn't see his face nor the claws that were headed for her rear. She felt them though as they bit into her ass, causing a confused squeak escape from her mouth. Lifting her up, he grasped the top of her Lycra pants and, while looking directly into her eyes, slid them down her muscular legs and off into his paw.

With both now only covered by their underwear, the two mammals took a second to calm themselves down. Too much had happened too fast, not allowing themselves to fully enjoy each other's bodies. Wrapping their arms around each other, they pressed their bare fur together, reveling in the sensations they were able to feel by simply allowing them to lay there, undisturbed by anyone or anything. Eventually though, their hormones did return. Their soft kisses became a bit more urgent, their loving caresses a bit stronger. It was Nick this time who broke first, running his paw down to her panty covered mound. Feeling how wet she was after all of their earlier stimulation, he pressed into her folds gently. The gasp from his bunny spurred him to increase his attention to her. Running his digits up and down, lightly pressing in as he passed her entrance, had her panting hard, gripping his shoulders with her paws tightly. Biting her lip, she tried to increase the pressure only for him to retreat. She sat still understanding that this was his game now, one that she was more than eager to play. Sliding his paw back in place, he trailed his claws along her mound, occasionally flicking over her clit, eliciting a sharp gasp and a moan from above. It was the whimper as he thrust two of his digits though her fabric covered entrance that had him look at her pleading eyes. Giving her a nod, she squealed in relief and reached down with her paw. Swiftly moving the panties to the side, she cried out when he thrust them inside of her, the slickness of her allowing him to slide in deep. Pushing her hips down while he pushed his digits up had her moaning out of control.

Now consumed with his own lust, Nick reached down and pulled his boxers off, his foxhood standing at full mast. Pulling his paw out of her, she cried out in anguish at losing the pleasure she was experiencing until she saw him fully nude. Grasping his shaft, she ran her paw up and down several times, almost as if mesmerized by his heated redness. Sliding down between his legs, she lowered her lips to it, locking her eyes onto his, never breaking her gaze. Kissing the tip, she felt immensely pleased at seeing his head roll back. It made her feel good to know she could provide pleasure for her mate. Licking his shaft from base to tip, she let him rest on her tongue before closing her lips around it. Sliding down, she let the shaft travel down her throat, her nose burying itself in the musky scent at his base. The pleased look he was giving her was more than enough incentive for her to retract her head, dragging her tongue all the way to the tip before once again sliding it into her throat. Slowly, she consumed his foxhood over and over, letting the pleasure in her mate build. When it seemed as if he could take no more, she slid him from her mouth and crawled back up onto his lap, shedding her panties as she went.

Reaching between them, she wrapped her paw around his shaft and rubbed it up and down her slit. Positioning it directly below her entrance, she looked deep into his eyes. "Okay, sweetie," she spoke in a soft whisper, fearing any loud sounds may ruin the moment and end their passionate embrace. "I think we've both been teased for far too long." Reaching her paws to his, they interlocked and kept their gaze on each other while Judy slowly relaxed her legs, letting Nick's hot member slip inside of her. Judy felt her walls stretch as the shaft that was never made to belong inside a bunny pushed them aside, seeking to go much deeper. The stretching was heaven to the small bunny. It felt so amazing to be filled so completely, knowing that there wasn't a single place her fox couldn't reach, not a single area that separated them from being truly one.

Reaching his base, Judy rested against his hips with her own. Leaning forward, she placed her head on his chest and savored the feeling of being rejoined with her beloved fox once more. Knowing how special the moment was to the young rabbit, as it was each time, Nick said nothing, just held her tight against him, letting her set the pace. After a few minutes, she rose back up after placing a tender kiss on his chest. Interlocking their paws once more, she began rocking her hips, feeling his shaft moving with her. While the sensations were incredible and overwhelming at the same time, Nick was able to control himself. He let Judy set the tone. When she wanted soft and tender, he would let her take control. He was a patient lover and would allow her to set their pace. When she wanted him to let loose, that was when the animal within him came out.

Judy was pressing down into his hips with each rocking motion, pushing him in slightly deeper each time. The pleasure was intense but not enough for the doe. Letting go of his paws, she slowly started raising up, letting her toned legs lift her up and slide back down while pressing her paws into his stomach for added support. Nick, who had been softly moaning with each pass of her hips started letting out a low growl. With each time she fell back on top of him, Nick would flex his paws, wishing he had somewhere he could put them. Feeling Judy's on top of his own, he looked into her eyes, seeing the understanding in them. She dragged his paws down to her and placed one on either side of her hips. With a wink, she smiled before her mouth let out a gasp as she slid back down onto him. The claws pressing into her side increased her arousal, a low purr emanating from her throat.

Time seemed to disappear for the two mammals. All they could focus on was each other and the pleasure they were giving to their mate. Nick had started running his claws along her chest getting them through the fur to leave slight marks along her skin. Each time he made a pass she would arch her back and let out a small cry. One paw reached behind her and grabbed her tail. The fluffy thing was always attractive to Nick but when pulled lightly during sex, it caused Judy an intense amount of pleasure and arousal. Not wanting to be undone, Judy reached down between them and grabbed the small knot that was beginning to form. Rubbing it between her digits, she watched in satisfaction as her fox began panting, his eyes rolling back into his head.

Their height difference made kissing almost impossible in this position but it did allow for Nick to drag his tongue along her raised ears, stopping only to nibble at the top. Feeling a wave of pleasure washing over her, Judy sank down completely enveloping him. The heat of her wrapped around his shaft was proving to be too much for the fox, feeling himself nearing his release before the time was ready for them to meet it together. Regretfully raising her off of him, he clutched her to his chest. Confused and slightly hurt, his bunny gazed into his eyes. Seeing only love mixed with a burning lust, she knew he wasn't done with her. Pressing his lips to hers, he pushed his tongue past her teeth, seeking her smaller one. Finding himself met halfway, the two lovers embraced even closer, their arms grasping at each other's fur as their tongues gracefully glided the other, both reveling in the taste.

Turning her around, Nick kept their lips together, Judy's head turning to face him for as long as possible. Taking one of her powerful thighs in each paw, he spread them wide before lowering her onto his hard shaft. The feel of it pressing against her lips caused her to moan into his mouth. Nick tried to prevent a high pitched whine from escaping but failed, the noise slipping out making mate giggle until her moaning picked up again as his foxhood pressed into her deeper. Their mouths separated, the two being unable to reach the other, but it was no longer necessary for them. Sinking down until she felt him breaching her deepest regions, the intimacy they felt between the two of them was more than powerful enough to make up for their inability to share a passionate kiss. Her walls had once again collapsed as they did every time he withdrew from her. The feeling of having to stretch around him with every thrust was something not lost on either of them, heightening their pleasure all the while.

Leaning back against his chest, Judy reached up and stroked his cheek. She felt him stiffen when she tried to raise her hips but the position kept her from lifting high enough to slide along his shaft. Instead, Nick kept his paws under her thighs and raised her up himself. Lifting the bunny took little effort. She was light compared to him and his training at the Academy had filled him out more than enough to handle her. Sliding her up, Nick stopped shy of pulling her completely off, leaving the tip just inside her entrance. Leaning down as close as possible, Nick managed to lick her cheek before lowering her back down slowly. The feel of his tongue had made her head swim, feeling so light it was if it would float up to the clouds. Repeating his action, Judy let out a low moan feeling him fill her sex once more, the skin stretching gloriously at his passing. It felt so good, but it was not enough. "Faster."

Nick, ever the one to try and please his mate, dug his claws into her spread legs and raised and lowered her, increasing his pace. A tapping of her paws on his legs had him speeding up, knowing she was starting to feel herself getting closer. "Harder, Nick." Now he grabbed her waist with his paws, moving his legs to wrap around hers, spreading them open even further. Using his grasp, he began alternating between raising her quickly and pulling her down hard, driving himself deep within her. Leaning forward slightly, she let his knot hit her clit with each upward thrust from her mate. She began to pant, feeling her imminent release approaching quickly. In an effort to keep the feeling building, she stood up off of him and leaned over the dashboard in front of her. Flicking her tail and casting a sultry look back at her mate, she invited him to finish their act in a way that both of them often enjoyed.

Nick, his face taking on a look of excitement and pleasure, slid the seat back as far as it was able to go and stood up behind her. Bending his knees, he angled his shaft and rubbed it up and down her slit, feeling how wet she had become. Sliding inside, he thrust deep, causing her to groan as he once again filled her. Leaning over her, he covered her body with his own. Reaching around, he cupped her chest and pulled her closer to him. Standing, he let his hardened shaft drag her along, raising her feet off the ground to be trapped under him. "Are you ready, love?" Seeing her nod was all he needed. Her response was drowned out by the feelings he was causing within her as he thrust in and out, harder and faster with each push. His tail was wagging out of control, thumping into the window with each pass, the noise ignored by both mammals. Judy started crying out, her release coming quicker than she expected. It was intense, the pleasure having built for for a long time. Feeling her push back just as hard as the thrusts he was making had Nick closing in on his release as well.

With one hard push from both of them, Nick's knot slid into her opening. It had not been their plan but the pressure both were feeling, one being forced open, the other being trapped inside, had neither of them caring, the pleasure being all that mattered. Now restricted to short, quick strokes, Nick increased his speed, pounding Judy's deepest parts of her sex over and over. With an almost silent scream, Judy began convulsing, her cum gushing over his shaft. Feeling her release, Nick shoved himself in as far as he could, releasing his seed into her.

* _End Explicit*_

Completely drained, both mammals collapsed onto Nick's seat, the two of them glowing in their post-orgasmic high. Cradling his mate tight to his chest, Nick rocked them back and forth, enjoying her fur beneath her paws, wrapping his tail around the two of them. Having become dazed by her intense orgasm, Judy was slow to come around. The first thing she registered was the paws wrapped around her. The sight of his russet paws filled her with a profound sense of comfort. "Hey, sweetie." She reached up and caressed his cheek, feeling the rough bristles beneath her paws. Lowering them to stroke his tail, Nick let out a low rumble, enjoying the feel of her velvety paws against the sensitive appendage. "That was pretty intense, huh?"

"It was certainly a lot more than what we did on Friday," he winked at her, bringing up the memory of their last session in the cruiser. That had been a much shorter affair, settling for some oral stimulation rather than going all out like they just had.

"Mmmmm. Not complaining though." Seeing her panties on the floor, she tried to raise up to start putting her clothes back on. She loved being naked, stretched out across her mate, but they had already expended probably all of their lunch break, if not longer, and would need to get back on the road before anyone came knocking to see what might be wrong. The last thing she needed was for a co-worker to discover them naked and smelling of sex. She found herself unable to stand, however. She could feel something keeping her planted on his lap. Trying once more, she felt the pull coming from where they were still sitting together. Realization hit her like a freight train, and she turned to face her mate in shock. "Nick, did you _knot_ me?! We have to get dressed and get back to work! Now we're stuck here!"

"Well I didn't do it on purpose. You pushed back when I pushed forward and things just kind of...connected." He composed himself and gave her a smirk. "I don't remember you complaining. And if I remember correctly from what I walked in on last night, I'm guessing one of your favorite parts is when I knot you."

"Well duh! But not when we're working!" Judy's voice was climbing higher and higher as she began panicking. "I-I-I have to call in. I need to know if we're in trouble or missed. Hopefully they didn't send anyone after us!" Before Nick could say that was bad idea, she had already turned the radio back on. "Z240 to dispatch, back on 10-8."

_"Judy! Where have you guys been?!"_

Judy looked helplessly at her mate. He shook his head, telling her he has nothing. "Umm, we took lunch and lost track of time."

_"The chief has been looking for you for over half an hour."_

_Half an hour?_ Judy looked at the clock at the same time Nick did. They had been parked for nearly an hour. They both blanched at the realization of what they had done. To be out of contact for that long was more than enough time for dispatch and probably those on the open line to start panicking about their fellow officers.

 _"Wilde!"_ The sound of the Chief's angry voice filled Judy with more than a hint of fear. She shrank back instinctively, no longer wanting anything to do with the radio. _"Explain yourself Wilde! Out of contact for an hour. Radio dead. No previous location. I was about to send another cruiser to check up on you. Now, tell me what s going on."_

Knowing it would just get worse the longer she delayed, she keyed the mic. "I would prefer not to say. Not over the radio. Sir." A few seconds passed without a response. Judy and Nick shared a glance, no longer sure what was happening. A familiar ringtone had Judy scrambling to find her cell, digging it out from the clothes on the driver's seat. Nick had to lean with her to prevent the pain from her stretching his knot further. Finally yanking it from her uniform, she looked at the caller ID, her complexion turning white at the name of Chief Bogo flashing on the screen. Turning off the radio, she answered the call, her voice shaking. "Ch-chief B-Bogo, sir."

" _Tell me, Wilde. Was it medical?"_

"I'm sorry sir. Was _what_ medical?" A heavy sigh reached her ear through the phone. When Bogo next spoke it sounded as if he was trying to fight a headache.

" _You know what I mean, Ho-_ Wilde _. Remember, I was privy to the doctor's report, too. Now. Was it medically necessary?"_

Hanging her head, she felt miserable until she felt Nick's paw stroking her dropping ears. Looking up at him and mouthing a 'thank you', she dragged his other paw down to her and clutched it against her chest. "Not...exactly, sir."

_"...Explain."_

"Well, it's a little difficult to be honest. The doctor at the hospital correctly diagnosed the condition, but what she didn't count on was the fact that Nick was a predator. My sister is a doctor and she did a bit more research. I'll spare you the details over the phone and have her email you what she found, but suffice it to say that it's not exactly... _controllable_ all the time."

There was a long pause before the Chief responded. " _I see. And is the first time this has happened while on duty?"_

She wanted to say yes. She wanted to make sure she and Nick kept their jobs and their partnership, but she wasn't one to lie. She always had a problem with it and especially not to the Chief. "No sir. It's not. There was one other time."

 _"Well...this complicates things. I'm not sure how to handle this to be honest. Normally this would be grounds for separation, possibly disciplinary action."_ The words stung in her ears. She could feel Nick stiffen behind her. His ears had picked up the conversation and it concerned him just as much as it did her. " _However, this is a unique situation. One I'm not prepared to handle presently. I won't break up your partnership, mainly because of your medical requirements. Disciplinary action also wouldn't make much sense as I can't exactly punish you for something neither of you have the ability to control. But we will have to do something. I cannot have this happening while on the clock, especially not when on patrol."_ Letting out a collectively held breath, the duo let themselves relax slightly. _"I want you both back here in fifteen minutes."_

Looking down at their joined hips, Nick shook his head. "We're gonna need at least thirty, Chief."

_"...Do I even want to know?"_

"Probably not sir."

* * *

Back at the precinct, Nick and Judy had headed to their office after reassuring the hyperventilating cheetah they were perfectly fine. Unfortunately for the pair, the scent of the previous activity was very strong and noticeable to just about every predator. After talking to Ben, Nick had looked back to see him subtly sniffing the air before catching the vulpine's eyes and giving him a big wink and a grin. It was the same with almost every officer they passed on the way to their desks, receiving knowing looks and several grins.

"Well, it's official. My reputation here is ruined." Judy slumped in her chair, her head dropping onto her desk. "All of my hard work to be accepted, all of the cases I solved, gone with a single romp in the cruiser. Don't get me wrong," she told her mate, "that was absolutely incredible, I just wish no one had found out, or at least not this way."

Coming up behind her, Nick placed his paws on her shoulders and began softly massaging them. Leaning down he planted a kiss between her ears. Feeling her tense muscles relaxing, he increased the pressure, eliciting a groan from the stressed bunny. "Don't worry, Carrots. You don't need to be concerned about your reputation." Her listless ears twitched as if asking him to talk more. "You took out a rhino at the Academy. That already puts you up there. Next, you've taken on pretty much every sparring partner in the precinct which is it's own reputation. Not to mention just yesterday the two of us took on three bank robbers and rescued over a dozen hostages. You don't need to worry about any of it. This will honestly just make you seem more normal to your co-workers." Nuzzling her cheek with his own, he stroked her ears softly. "Everyone makes mistakes, and while I wouldn't call what we did a mistake, to others it will seem like you have one weakness at least. And that will honestly make you far more accepted by our brothers and sisters."

Lifting her head, she spun her chair around and wrapped her arms around him. "Thanks, sweetie. That really helps a lot." Swatting him on the butt, she gave him a push towards his own chair. "Now, let's look at the cams and see if we can catch this mammal." Keying up the footage from the Rainforest District, Judy and Nick started a street by street search, running through each of the hit locations. They found several recordings of the robberies, but unfortunately the thief would use the nearby crowds to make his mistake.

"It looks like whatever he's doing, the mammals around him swarm in and block the view from the camera." Nick kept trying to zoom in on the images hoping to catch a flash of the suspect. Something he said had Judy remembering a fight in the trees and a splash in a pool. Keying up the footage from the time she fought the small predator a few months ago, she watched as the feline used the same method, dumping several small piles of jewels causing other mammals to swarm in providing him with an escape.

"A margay," she whispered. Nick looked up at the sound of her voice.

"You found something?"

Judy shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "The suspect. He's a margay. The same one I fought when..." she shuddered at the thought of that experience. The fox stood up and walked towards her, wrapping her in his arms, comforting her as best as he could. Looking at the computer, he saw the frozen image of the small cat looking behind him.

"Jimmy." His voice came out no higher than a mutter. Judy heard him but didn't catch exactly what he said. The look on his face was one she hated to see. An underlying level of rage beneath a mask of indifference, trying to keep himself composed. Pulling back, Nick kept his eyes on the screen. "I have to go take care of something, Carrots. I'll be back shortly." Moving towards the door, he snagged his duffel bag hanging on a hook that was filled with his normal clothes.

"Nick? Nick, what's going on?" Judy hadn't seen him act like this before and it worried her. She reached out a paw to stop him, wanting an explanation.

Shrugging her paw off, he stopped at the look of hurt on her face. Giving her a genuine, though sad smile, he leaned down and kissed her gently. "Don't worry, Carrots. I think I have an idea on how to find this guy, but I have to go alone. My old 'buddies' don't know I've become a cop and they won't talk to cops. So I'm going to get some info and we'll go from there." Cupping her cheek, he rubbed it with his thumb, letting her lean into the touch. "I love you, Fluff. I'll be back shortly."

"I love you too, sweetie. Hurry back." Judy felt that she should follow him, provide him with back up, but she decided to trust him. If he said he would be back, then he would be back. That didn't stop something from nagging in the back of her mind the way he had whispered when he seen the margay's face or the look of pure rage across his face. She just hoped her mate knew what he was doing.

Now clothed in street clothes including his signature green silk shirt, Nick hopped in his car and headed back for the Rainforest District. He knew this particular margay. While Nick had never been a jewel thief, he had tended to use the same fence that the feline did. It had been a long time since the two had met face to face, but he wouldn't forget those stripes or the particular shape of the spots over his eyes. The two mammals normally didn't see eye-to-eye, but Nick was always very persuasive and Jimmy was always very gullible. He was sure he could spin a tale for the small cat that would keep him entranced long enough to get close enough.

Jimmy had always been a creature of habit. No matter how many times he had nearly gotten pinched, he still stayed in the same tree house in the same district he tended to rob from. Remembering the route wasn't difficult for the vulpine though he hadn't been there in nearly a year. Knowing the margay would be out until dusk, his thefts usually done in the day so he could escape in the low light, the rapidly fading day put the fox on edge. Parking in the gravel driveway, Nick stood leaning against the trunk of his car, waiting for the cat to come home. He needed to wait only about ten minutes until the faint sound of claws kicking up some of the tiny rocks of the driveway caught his attention.

"Nick Wilde!" A surprised voice rang out at the sight of the fox standing in front of his house. His eyes quickly narrowed in suspicion. "What are you doing here?"

"Jimmy Catterton, how you been?"

"Can't complain but sometimes I still do." Nick chuckled at the attitude of the small mammal. He never really liked him and he was working very hard to not screw up his plan, but the quip was one he always found amusing.

"Well," he started his spiel, "I came across a bit of info that I think would be beneficial to us both." Pulling his phone out, Nick keyed the the screen showing what looked like blueprints that had the cat salivating. He didn't even know what it was but the fact that Nick Wilde had come to him with blueprints in paw had his attention. "See, I need a thief familiar with security traps and lifting jewels and gems. I've heard about the smash and grab jobs and I'm a little disappointed you've stooped to that. What happened, Jimmy?"

A grimace flashed across the margay's face, a look of anger with a touch of hurt following. "Whole crew dropped out. Too much heat I suppose. Had to switch it up to keep the cash coming in. "What's up with you? Never figured you for a bigger job kinda guy. Weren't you melting popsicles for cash?"

"You'd be surprised what I've done in the past, Jimmy." He flashed his fangs in a deep grin, making the small predator become slightly more wary. "As for the pawpsicle hustle...well...since Finnick went straight for some girl he met, that whole thing has dried up. Haven't managed to successfully do that in months. I need a big score to get back on track and this one fell in my lap. So what do you say? Go inside and work out the details? I suggest a 50/50 split on the gems."

"Whoa whoa whoa. If _I'm_ gonna be the one doing the dirty work, I want a bigger cut. 70/30."

"I'm willing to go as low as 45/55."

"60/40. Final offer." Nick grimaced before sullenly nodding.

"Well, I do need the money. Alright, deal." He held out his paw for the two to shake on it. Jimmy approached and grasped it to seal the deal. When Nick tightened his grip suddenly, Jimmy panicked and tried to break away. Finding his strength not nearly enough, he focused on the vulpine, a look of fear on his face. Nick slipped a tranq dart he had pocketed back at the precinct from behind his back and jabbed it into the feline's arm. His vision fading and his body going limp, he looked back up at Nick to see a cold expression on his face before everything went dark. "Nighty night, Jimmy."


	24. Chapter 28 - Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ooooh boy! Today we get to learn about what's happening between Nick and Jimmy, the mean old margay. We're also going to jump around with Trisha a bit, cause who doesn't love the bubbly brown bunny?
> 
> Disclaimer: Some people talk about wanting to be a part of Zootopia but I can see myself actually in it. No seriously, the back of it is reflective, I can see myself in the disc. DISNEY! I AM IN YOU!

The smell of salt water came in on a light breeze. It was an unfamiliar scent for the mammal currently trying to rouse himself. Disoriented and light-headed, the whole world seemed to be spinning, making him very nauseous. A few dry heaves was all he could manage, the rest of his body being uncooperative. He appeared to be so out of it that his paws would not work properly. Nor would his legs. After struggling and failing to move, he sat back, letting his vision return. The blurry images slowly came back into focus revealing the rotted wood he was currently sitting on. Riddled with nails and covered in chipped areas, the small cat's gaze trailed wood for several feet until it dropped off into the origin of the smell of salt and sounds of small waves.

"Remember this place, Jimmy?" The margay whipped around which was not the smartest move he could make, as dizzy as he still was. His sudden vertigo had him almost falling over. The fox in front of him, who was leaning against the trunk of a red muscle car, took a deep breath in. "Ahh. Smell that breeze. High tide, right Jimmy? Always better to be here at high tide. I can still remember the smell when ol' Francis used to make us meet here at low tide." Pushing himself off the trunk, he took several steps past the margay to the edge of the dock and stared off into the water. Jimmy took this opportunity to make a break for it only to find himself sprawling to the ground. Looking down, he saw both his paws and legs cuffed. A chain linking the two together was bolted into one of the dock's mooring posts making escape impossible.

"Jimmy. You wouldn't be trying to steal away, would you Jimmy?" Turning back to the fox, he could see he was still looking out into the water, the sound of the chains alerting him to the cat's attempts to flee. Giving a few experimental yanks, the margay knew he wasn't going to be able to pull free. Nor could he expect help to show or come if he called. This place had been abandoned decades ago. Even the criminal elements had moved out several years ago, the location being far too dangerous. The dock they were on looked fragile enough as it is.

"What is it that you want, Wilde? You want a cut? The gems I've stolen? You can have them. I'll tell you where all the stashes are. Just let me go and we'll go get them." Jimmy wasn't sure what had driven Nick Wilde to doing this. He was always one to steer clear of trouble, always having a backup plan on how to get out if things got too furry. Never had he even heard of the fox going on the offensive, but even now...this was far beyond anything he could imagine him doing.

"Oh trust me, you will tell me. But that's only part of the reason we are here." Pulling a rock from his pocket, he threw it out into the water, getting a few skips from it. Pulling another one he paused before turning back to the feline. "I grabbed these from your driveway. Hope you don't mind." Turning back to the water, hiding his grin at the astonished face on the margay's face, he skipped it, only getting two this time.

"Are you fucking _nuts_? What the hell is going on here, Wilde?!" Nick stood there quietly, every so often pulling another stone and skipping it across the mildly choppy water. With each minute that passed, Jimmy became more and more concerned for his own well being. He was chained to a dock by a mammal who tranquilized him and drove him through two districts just to stand in front of him skipping rocks.

"You seriously messed up, my friend." The sudden low voice had him freezing in place. The red fox still had yet to turn around but the stiffness in his posture, the way he held himself upright, shoulders forward and arms tightly folded across his chest gave him an air of confidence, showing he was the one in control. Gathering up what little courage and false bravado he had, Jimmy scoffed at the vulpine.

"We-we were never _friends,_ Wilde. We worked on one or two small jobs for Francis back in the day. That's it. And I don't know what you're talking about. I never mess up. Never been caught, never gonna." Feeling a bit better now that he had given Nick a piece of his mind, the margay sat with a smug look on his face, forgetting for a moment he was chained to a post.

The vulpine's head lowering gave the margay a bit more of a confidence boost and he was about to lay into him again when the faint sound of a snarl reached his ears. Any ideas of pushing back against the fox fled at the sound, his blood running cold as the red-furred mammal turned his way. Dangerous eyes that seemed to be made of slits of green met his own fearful ones.

Slowly, the larger mammal moved forward, his claws digging into the wood making it crack, slivers being peeled away with each step. Letting out a vicious snarl, strands of saliva dripping from his fangs. Twisting his head with a violent jerk, almost seemingly uncontrollable, he snapped his jaws, the loud clacking sound echoing off the broken buildings, amplifying the sound to where it seemed a hundred feral foxes surrounded the two. Going down on all fours, Nick stalked closer to the paralyzed cat. Putting his muzzle directly in the margay's face, he growled. "You almost killed my _MATE_!"

His jaw dropping, Jimmy sat there stunned. He would never have tried to kill any mammal and he certainly didn't recall ever trying to harm a vixen. "Nick, buddy, I swear. I never tried to harm anyone! I never attacked any vixen either! I just steal stuff! I'm not a murderer!" His words were drowned out by another loud snarl and snapping jaws inches from the feline's nose. With a shrill cry, he leapt back as far as he could until the chains pulled tight and he was once again trapped.

"Don't lie to me, Jimmy. That's not a very smart idea right now. I saw the footage. You attacked her." Seeing him shake his head repeatedly, Nick slammed his paw on the dock. "Don't lie to me! I got to her in time to see her stop breathing. I got there in time for her heart to stop! If she hadn't revived, you would already be in pieces at the bottom of the sea over there. Fish food." Blanching, the cat started hyperventilating as the fox stood up from his crouched position. Walking back to the edge of the dock, he once again stared out into the sea.

"You've put me in a very difficult position, Jimmy. The way I see it, you've got two options. One; I take you down to the ZPD precinct. You give up all of the locations of your stolen loot, you sign a confession to the robberies and to the assault of my mate. They'll show you the vid so you know that they can prove it in court if they need to. You'll be going away for a while but that's the only way it's going to protect you from me in the future."

A few seconds passes while the margay thought it over. "And if I choose option two?" Nick raised his brow and pulled the handful of stones left from his pocket. Hanging them over the edge of the dock, he stared straight into the margay's eyes and sprinkled them into the water. Jimmy gulped, before nodding. "Option one. I'll take option one."

Nick slowly walked over to him and knelt down. "Good choice. Now, what does option one mean, Jimmy?"

Swallowing hard, Jimmy recited what Nick had said a few minutes prior. "When we get to the ZPD I'm gonna give up all my loot stashes and I'll confess to the robberies and the assault."

Nick smiled and pulled his phone from his back pocket before hitting the pause button on the record app. "Thanks bud. That just made it a whole lot easier," he said cheerfully, his previous threatening demeanor wiped away.

"Wait, what?" Jimmy looked at the fox, now thoroughly confused.

Nick pulled a second tranq dart from his back pocket and looked at him. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart." He jabbed the dart into the margay's neck. "Boom."

* * *

The trip back to the precinct was relatively quiet for the red fox, mostly due to the unconscious prisoner in the back seat. He was still cuffed on both paws and legs, mainly because Nick didn't like the idea of the squirmy mammal tearing up his seats. His car wasn't made to transport prisoners, but a cruiser would have ruined the entire plan and taking the bus was pretty much not going to happen. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to explain any of it to his boss and especially not to his mate, the latter of which had been pretty upset when he hadn't returned any of her calls after being gone for quite a while. He had told her he had left the phone in the car otherwise it would have interfered, which was entirely true, he just wish he could have told her what the plan was ahead of time.

When he was a few blocks from the precinct he began to panic slightly, still not having come up with an ingenious explanation for apprehending a non-aggressive suspect by darting him, dragging said suspect to an abandoned dock where he was chained down and frightened under threat of death into confessing his crimes, and then darted a second time. He was pretty sure there may have been one or two violations in there but they may be so far down the list they would probably be ignored. _Fat chance. I'm gonna have to have the smoothest silver tongue of all time to get my ass outta this unscathed._

Reaching the building, Nick parked in the garage and hauled the margay out as he was starting to come around. Undoing the cuffs on his legs, Nick quickly tossed those in the backseat, not needing the additional drama of having to drag the cat inside the building. Shaking the animal into a more conscious appearance, her slapped him on the back. "Alright, Jimmy. Remember what you're supposed to do?"

"Fuck you, Wilde." Slapping the mammal on his back again, this time harder and right between the shoulder blades, Nick chuckled as the margay hissed.

"No, that's for my mate to do. No, what you're going to do is walk in there, confess to everything we talked about, and I leave you in their... _safe_ paws." Spinning one of the remaining stones he had kept in his pocket, Jimmy stared at it wide-eyed and gulped. He nodded and the two of them walked into the precinct.

"Alright everyone. I have a small mammal here who would like to confess several crimes." Nick pushed the margay in front of him, raising a spectacle the way a town crier would. Clawhauser, who was just getting ready to leave for the night, beamed brightly at the fox.

"Good one, Nick. What did this one do?" Ben, while keeping his eye on the pair, continued packing up his Gazelle memorabilia into his duffel bag.

"This, Spots, would be Jimmy Catterton. Notorious thief specializing in jewelry and gems. Been hitting the Rainforest District stores recently. He's behind the thefts Francine and Liz were investigating." Pulling him over to the counter, Nick began filling out the forms. Seeing him signing official log entries, Jimmy pulled back as far as he could.

"You're a friggin _cop_?" Nick pulled his badge out with a grin.

"Am I a cop? Yes. Yes I am. Oh and by the way, you're under arrest. I already read you your rights when you were asleep." Fuming in anger, he tried to kick the fox, his claws out and sharp. Sensing the motion, Nick whipped his leg out of the way and slammed his elbow down onto the feline's head. Slightly dazed, the mammal tried to grab for the desk forgetting he was currently cuffed. The resulting smack of him hitting the floor was fairly amusing to the vulpine, even more to the portly cheetah who had been watching everything happening.

Coming to, the margay quickly got up, still very angry at the fox for tricking him. "I'll report you, Wilde. You'll never be a cop again after I tell everyone what you did to me!" Nick, seeming bored, smirked at the feline and pulled out his phone.

_"When we get to the ZPD I'm gonna give up all my loot stashes and I'll confess to the robberies and the assault."_

With a smug look on his face, Nick pocketed his phone and turned back to the documents. Jimmy let out a snarl before launching himself toward the unprotected back of the fox. His teeth bared, he prepared himself to strike when he was suddenly thrown several feet away, a huge pain in his side forming. He looked upward to see the face of an extremely angry bunny looking at him. While it may seem amusing for him to admit a bunny could possibly scare him, he was more frightened of that gray rabbit than he ever had been during Nick's 'savage' act from earlier.

With a harsh poke into his chest making the margay wince, she bared her own teeth at him. The loud growl, which he had never heard a bunny do before, was punctuated by several words hissed through her clenched jaw. "Don't. Touch. My. MATE!"

Shocked, Jimmy looked back and forth between the rabbit and the fox repeatedly. "Wilde... _This?_ This is your _mate_? Why the hell would you think I would have almost killed...your..." Remembering a short fight with a rabbit officer a couple months back that he had kicked off a tree suddenly flashed into his mind. Looking at the gray rabbit, in civilian clothes but standing in the ZPD building, he put two and two together. "Oh crap."

What appeared to be almost a flash of lightning went through the bunny's eyes as she stared down at the pinned feline. _This. This is the stupid mammal that killed me and nearly destroyed Nick?!_ Uncontrollable rage surged through her as she stared down at the pathetic feline. Coiling her foot, she raised it up and prepared to bring it down on his skull, ending any chance he would ever have at hurting her mate again. It was only the russet paws of her fox swooping her up that kept the mammal alive. "Hey hey. Carrots. It's alright. We got him, he's confessed, he's going away. We won't have to deal with him again, alright? No need to let him drag us down any further." Stroking her ears, he felt her sink into his embrace, a soft purr coming from her chest as she calmed down.

The margay looked at them from the floor, his eyes wide and his mouth curled in disgust. "You two are fruitc-." His sentence was cut off by a dart landing in his neck. "You gotta...be...kid-..." His sprawled unconscious form grew still.

The embracing couple, as well as every mammal in the lobby, turned towards the front desk where Clawhauser stood, tranq pistol in paw. He looked thoroughly pleased with himself and turned to yell over his shoulder. "Hey Freddie! I fixed the jamming problem!"

* * *

"That was a stupid plan, Nick." The irritated bunny climbed out of the red mustang and stormed towards the lobby of the apartment complex. "First of all, you _lied_ to me. You told me you needed to go talk to some of your old 'buddies' to get some info, but you knew where he was all the time, didn't you?" She pinned the sheepish fox under her gaze, noticing his eyes shifting back and forth trying to avoid hers. "You also _knew_ him _,_ obviously. The way he was talking to you when you brought him in showed that. Which I'm guessing is what you were whispering in our office, wasn't it?"

"But Carrots, I got the bad guy! We solved another case, get to return the jewels, and we put the guy that attacked you behind bars! It's a win-win with a bonus win. I'm not seeing any downside here." He strolled ahead of her, entering the lobby via the garage access door. Dave wasn't at his usual post as the hour was very late already. There were a few mammals coming in but the sight of the bickering fox and rabbit had them pulling back, afraid to be the ones on the elevator with the cop couple.

Judy huffed, facing the doors and not looking at her mate. Crossing her arms, she glowered at the reflection of him in the golden elevator. "The downside, Nick, is that we have to somehow convince the Chief not to suspend you for what you did. You mammal-napped a suspect, coerced him into confessing, and tranq'd him when he wasn't resisting or fleeing! Do you understand how serious that is?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe as serious as almost crushing a handcuffed perp's head who was simply laying on the floor?" The silence and awkwardness that filled the small space at his comment made the fox wince. He noticed his bunny's head bowed towards the floor and felt a horrific pain spreading throughout him. "Carr- _Judy_ ," her ear twitched at the sound of her name, something he rarely used, "I'm sorry. I had no place to say that. I was out of line."

A heavy sigh greeted him at that. "No, Nick. I'm the one who should be sorry. I can't agree with what you did but I also don't have the right to berate you when I could have seriously hurt that mammal tonight because I lost control." Looking up at him, tears forming in her eyes, she clasped his paw. "Thank you for stopping me, Nick."

"Anytime, Fluff." He interlocked their paws and leaned down to kiss her between the ears. "Let's just agree that we both messed up and we'll deal with Buffalo Butt in the morning. Sound like a plan?"

Giggling behind her paw, Judy nodded. "Oh, I gotta call Sarah and have her send me that paper she published. The one about you and me and the whole 'Bonded to a Predator' deal."

"Bonded to a predator, huh? Sounds a n awful lot like that happened in the car earlier." He waggled his brows at her causing an intense blush to sweep over her. "How is Sundae doing anyways? She's gotta be getting close to graduating."

Judy nodded excitedly. "She's got one more semester left and then she'll be working at Savannah Central. They already offered her a starting position in the-...Trisha?" Nick whipped around, following her gaze. There was the brown bunny, laying unconscious over several large boxes. Rushing down the hall, they checked to see if she was okay. By the slow breathing and calm appearance, plus the added quilt laid on top of her, they concluded she was asleep. The real question is what she was doing out in the hall.

Standing Nick tried he door only to find it locked up tight. "The door's locked. Carrot's didn't you give her a key?" He knew she always kept one with her car keys which she had lent to her friend that morning.

Judy, who had been trying to wake her friend, glared up at him. "Of course I did! You don't think she accidentally locked them in the car do you?" It seemed odd for that to be the case as detail oriented the bunny was.

"I suppose it's possible. Why didn't she call? Do you have any messages?" Thumbing through her phone, Judy shook her head before looking around for Trisha's, even patting her pockets.

"Her phone isn't here either. I don't get this, Nick. None of this makes any sense. For Trisha to not only lock the keys in the car, but also lose her phone and then not try to get any help doesn't seem right. And who's quilt is this anyways?!"

"That would be mine." The two mammals turned to see Mrs. Rivers stepping from her door, a look of concern on her face as she gazed at the sleeping doe. "I found her about an hour ago. She seemed to be asleep so I covered her up so she wouldn't get cold. I tried knocking but you didn't answer. I guess now I know why," she commented, looking at their tired appearance.

Judy for her part looked very upset and guilty at letting her friend down. Nick on he other paw looked pensive. Looking at the blanket then to the bunny and then to their neighbor thoughtfully. A sudden twinkle appeared in his eye before growing to a delighted look and a wide smile.

There was a sudden chuckle from the vulpine that quickly turned into full on laughter. Grabbing his gut, he tried to keep himself from collapsing to the floor. Judy who originally appeared concerned, turned annoyed, even angry at his attitude. "Nick what is wrong with you? Our friend was stuck out here all night-" the tod at that fell to his knees roaring with laughter. "What is so damn funny, Nick?!"

Clutching his throat, he attempted to calm down enough to breath steadily. After another half minute, the laughter died down to merely light chuckling. Wiping away the tears, Nick smiled reassuringly at his mate. "Don't worry, Carrots. It's all fine." He glanced down the hallway towards the other two mammals in the hall. "Isn't that right Mrs. Rivers? Trisha?" Judy, more than a little confused at that point turned where he was facing.

With a frown on her face, the old otter sighed. "Hate you, Nick. Can never get anything past you. Thought I had you this time, though. Alright girly, up with ya. He caught on." Prodding the bunny with her foot, she stepped back as the bubbly brown rabbit opened her eyes and leapt up with a bright grin. Judy let out a shrill 'Eep' as she jumped backwards slightly, startled by the sudden change in her friend. "Tell me, what gave it away this time?" Mrs. River's face showed she was disappointed but she was betrayed by the amusement in her surprisingly sharp eyes.

"Gave _what_ away? What is going on here?!" Judy was at her breaking point. She knew that obviously something was going on between the three other mammals but beyond the fact that Trisha had been in on tricking them she understood little else.

Nick grinned and put his arm around her shoulders, leading them back down to the other two. "Well Carrots, Mrs. Rivers here has given herself a goal over the years to prank or hustle me so good that I have to admit her creative genius. So far she has failed since I moved in but it appears she roped your friend into her dastardly plot." Moving towards Trisha, he placed his paw on her head causing the bunny to both appear upset and delighted. "The first puzzle piece was little Blue over here. For someone who memorizes drink orders for well over a hundred patrons at the 10-7 per night, it's highly unlikely she would lock the keys in the car, especially as they are _your_ keys and she values your stuff a lot." Examining the boxes, walking around each one slowly, he gave one a slight nudge with his toe. "The second was the lack of a cell phone. As addicted as mammals are to their phones, the likelihood of someone just leaving it behind is also pretty far-fetched. But it is possible so I could go along with that. By the way," he kicked over one of the boxes, Judy's keys and Trisha's phone sliding out, "there are the missing objects. Oh an the boxes, Carrots?" Kicking one by one, they all opened to show they were empty.

Trisha sheepishly looked between the three of them. "Well you wouldn't expect me to bring out a bunch of full boxes after lugging them up here and unpacking, would you?" Shaking her head at her friend, though more amused now, Judy turned back to her fox.

"Okay, so if you could buy into both of those circumstances, what made you realize it was fake? I don't see anything else wrong here."

Giving her a smile, Nick turned towards the otter. "And this is where you messed up, Mrs. Rivers. With you." Rather than appear confused or insulted, she merely smiled guiltily. "There is no way that a kind and sweet mammal such as yourself would make a young doe sleep on the floor out here. You would have asked her to come inside and if she didn't, you would have dragged her. Laying a quilt over her? C'mon. You must have known that would give it away." His sly grin refused to fade even after the old otter had started laughing.

"Alright, fox. You win this round." Pointing a wrinkled paw towards the todd, she smiled evilly. "But be warned. One of these days I will get you. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. Won't be Friday, I have that appointment with my doctor for that colonoscopy. And Sunday is my shopping day with my girls. Monday I think I'm g-" she trailed off as she went into her apartment, closing the door behind her.

"Goodnight Mrs. Rivers," the fox and rabbit said loudly. Hearing nothing come back from the older mammal, Judy shrugged before bending down to help Trisha pick up the empty boxes while Nick pulled out his keys and unlocked the door.

"That was a stupid trick, Trish." The gray bunny tried to admonish her friend to no effect, the happy smile on her face not fading even an ounce.

"Says you. I quite enjoyed myself." Trisha was practically skipping through the apartment. "Your neighbor is really fun." Tossing the piles of cardboard into the spare bedroom, Trisha glanced at the piles clothing and few possessions she had scattered all over the room and bed. _I really need to put that stuff away._ Pondering, for a minute, she shrugged. _I'll do it tomorrow. Tomorrow's good._ Heading back down the hall, she pocketed her phone. "What's for dinner?"

Nick raised his brow. "You didn't eat?" In response, Trisha raised her own.

"I may have had a key to get in, and you guys may have been very kind to let me stay here, but I'm not going to go poking through your belongings or your food without permission." Judy, who was standing behind the brown bunny, started gesturing towards her with big eyes, trying her to best to look as cute as possible, making Nick wince with how effective it was.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Trisha. Much better than your friend over there. She devoured all of my cereal the first day she was here." Giving her a sly wink, he braced himself as a gray blur charged his way, knocking the brown rabbit to the side.

"You liar!" Nick started laughing after taking a few blows to his shoulder and chest. Grabbing her arms, he let her struggle against him until she broke free and wrapped her paws around his neck. Dragging him down, she planted her lips to his and kissed him passionately until she remembered the audience they now had and released him. Looking over to see the smug, yet heated look from her friend had the gray bunny blushing hard. A wink from Trisha made her uncontrollably smile back.

Nick, who was a bit stunned at the intensity of the kiss, stood up a little shakily. "So...dinner...right..."

* * *

Each morning the two officers would get dressed, ready to protect and serve the mammals of Zootopia. Their uniforms cleaned and ironed, their badges polished and gleaming. This morning was a little different for the couple. Both of them looked at their uniforms hanging on the closet door. It had been such a trial for them to be earned. Months of training, studying, and dedication to be allowed to wear them, to stand behind the shield. And now, due to a pair of stupid mistakes, they each felt they could lose that privilege.

Nick wasn't overly concerned with their actions in the cruiser. That could be explained away and the chief already appeared to have an understanding of what had happened. No, it was his unorthodox and possibly _illegal_ handling and coercion of a suspect that really threatened his job with the ZPD. He knew he should have handled it better. He should have taken his partner, arrested the margay and brought him in for questioning. After seeing that it was the same mammal that nearly killed his mate, he wanted to rip him apart. Nick wasn't that sort of mammal though. So instead, he fell back onto his hustling skills and managed to land the feline in prison for several years with an hour's worth of work. Hopefully that would play in his favor.

Judy meanwhile was worried about all of the mistakes she made yesterday. She had avoided needing to discuss her enhanced instinctual reactions with the Chief for fear of being removed from the force by learning how to be in control at all times. She had done so well keeping everything hidden, but the one aspect that there was no control for, one that she would never be able to tame, was the overwhelming urge to mate with her fox. Once she got stimulated, it was an uphill battle to even keep sane. Bogo knew about the necessary need for intimacy once the Bond progressed too far, but he wasn't aware of how complicated the whole thing really was. She hoped that her sister's report would help explain things for her. She had faxed a copy to the Chief that morning, hopefully allowing him to get a grasp of it before they reported to his office. Not to mention how she had nearly stomped the small cat's face into a pulp for trying to attack Nick after she had recognized it was the same mammal who had nearly killed her only a couple months ago.

The two put their concerns aside for the time being and began to get ready for the day. Their beginning routine for the morning always started with a shower. Besides coffee it was the most energizing way to wake up for the day, especially for a fox in winter mating season and an overactive bunny with no self control. As early as it was, they did not expect to see anything odd, yet the sight of the bathroom shower having already been used that morning had Nick scratching his head. Judy knew that Trisha must have gotten up early to use it but since she worked mainly a late afternoon to evening shift, waking early would not really be in her best interest. She decided she would talk to her about it but for now, hot water and a certain naked mammal waited for her...

"I don't get it, Carrots." Toweling off, Nick headed back to the bedroom with his bunny right behind him. "It doesn't matter how early we wake up, we always end up getting out of the shower at the same time."

"Seriously, Nick?" Running the towel down her back, she spent some time drying off her tail while her ears perked straight up letting him rub them dry. "Every time we get up early we just allow ourselves time to go further with our...shower," she finished with a smirk. "Not saying I'm complaining or anything. I quite enjoy our... _shower._ "

Giving her a toothy grin, he snapped his jaws at her, making her shiver with delight. Leaning down, he gave her a quick peck, trying to avoid getting drawn back into another long physical battle between the two of them. They both had agreed they needed to get in early in case Bogo called them into his office before roll call. However, they both knew if things between them got heated, there wouldn't be a snowball's chance in hell at getting out of the apartment on time.

Pulling on her Lycra uniform, Judy snapped her belt on and threw her tactical vest over her shoulder before heading into the kitchen to whip up some breakfast, leaving her fox to struggle with his own uniform. Reaching the end of the hall she was bombarded with the pleasant smell of waffles and fresh fruit. Licking her lips, Judy turned the corner to see Trisha pulling another batch from the waffle iron, sliding them expertly onto three plates arranged on the counter. Brown ears sprang up at the sound of paws behind her. "Good morning, sleepyhead." Without bothering to look behind her, Trisha tossed a chunk of honeydew melon over her shoulder, the throw being directly on target with Judy's paws. Catching it, the gray rabbit quickly bit into it, swallowing the delicious fruit.

"Morning. I wouldn't go so far as to say 'sleepyhead' though. We got up at our regular time. After last night and moving I wasn't expecting you to wake until after we had left this morning." Hopping up onto the kitchen chair, Judy eyed the plate Trisha was currently setting in front of her. The waffles looked crisped to perfection, drizzled in thick maple syrup. Spearing a piece and quickly popping it in her mouth, she groaned at the taste. "Thf so guld." Trisha's giggle caused the gray bunny to snort around her mouth full of food before swallowing. "Sorry. This tastes delicious. So what made you get up and take a shower so early?" she asked, cutting another square and dipping it into the rest of the syrup pooling onto the sides of the plate.

At that statement, the other bunny appeared very nervous. Glancing towards the hallway, she turned her ear in that direction, trying to gauge how far away the vulpine was. Embarrassed, the doe kept her gaze downward. "I umm...I wanted to take a shower before you two did." Looking up through her lashes, she tried to gauge Judy's reaction which was merely a puzzled one.

"Why did you want to do that? Did we take too long yesterday?" She was thoroughly confused. She knew that being a bunny meant getting up earlier than mammals with a lot more pep, but Trisha wasn't exactly a normal bunny. Judy knew she tended to be a late morning riser and the fact that she wanted to take a shower that early yesterday was a rarity. To do it even earlier just to get in there first made no sense to the gray rabbit. _Maybe if it was to get to the hot water that would make sense. But there's always hot water._

"No no. It wasn't that...It was...well..." She looked truly upset, her gaze shifting back and forth, anything to now look her friend directly in the face. Judy was slowly growing concerned with her behavior. "You know what, never mind. Let's just eat breakfast," she said cheerily, though Judy could tell it was false. She wasn't going to let up that easy.

"Nope. We are gonna talk about this right now." Putting down her fork and regretfully pushing her plate to the side, Judy motioned for Trisha to sit down across from her. "Now, why was it so important for you to take a shower before us? Hot water? We have plenty of that. More than you could ever use. Early job? You work nights, so that's out too. So what is it?"

"Because you two like to fuck in there!" The sudden outburst was not one Judy was expecting, nor were the words Trisha had used. She couldn't deny it however and felt a blush sweeping over her ears and face.

"Well I suppose it would be fairly upsetting knowing you were going in to use the shower after someone had just had sex in there. Probably comes across as disgusting."

Looking down, the bunny dug her brown paw into the table, trailing a digit around abstractly. "That's not exactly it." Seeing the further confused face on her friend's face had the blush now creeping up her ears. "The mingled scent of you two was really strong. I could totally smell your arousal and his musk was off the charts. It um, it kinda got me going too."

With a now giant grin on her lips, Judy practically yelled. "Trisha Rose! Are you saying you got off in our shower after we had sex in it?"

"No! I'm not saying anything like that at all! I mean, there may or may not have been something happening in that room after a mammal or mammals unknown had vacated the area after certain activities had concluded."

"So that means..."

"Okay yes, I totally did that." She looked a bit embarrassed but the way Judy was acting had her feeling much better about the whole ordeal.

"Don't worry, Trish. You're not the only one with control issues around here," Judy smiled, though slightly strained.

Giggling, Trisha clamped a paw over her mouth trying not to bite down which could cause her serious harm. "I know. I can hear it. I think everyone in the building can hear you two." Now it was Judy's turn to look embarrassed.

"Well, if they have, we haven't gotten any complaints."

"So what did you mean by 'control issues'? Is he just that good?" The look Trisha aimed down the hall along with a lick of her lips suddenly had Judy on edge until she saw the mischievous gleam out of the corner of her eye before she winked at the flustered doe.

"Dammit Trisha. Stop making me think you're going after him. You gotta stop doing that before I jump you. Is that something you really want?"

Trisha's eyes became half-lidded. "That's kind of giving me mixed signals there, cottontail. Am I supposed to make you jump me or not?"

Judy sat upright, her eyes going wide in astonishment. "No! No no, that's not what I mean at all. Oh sweet cheese and crackers." Her face now completely beet red, she pulled her ears over her eyes trying to block out and forget what had just occurred. "You're lucky I have some sort of control right now or you would be in big trouble." The sudden feel of silky digits trailing up her arm made the doe shiver.

"Anything in there that you _can't_ control?" The feeling consuming Judy was intense but she knew Trisha didn't exactly understand what she was doing.

"Trisha, you gotta stop. I'm on edge right now." The paw withdrawing had her suddenly breathing normally again, if not a little ragged.

Trisha sighed heavily. "I'm sorry Judy. I was only teasing. What did I do wrong now?"

"It's not you, Trish. Trust me. It's one of those problems I talked to you about at the bar. This one just deals with sex. There's no way for me to learn control over that aspect unlike the others. I'm constantly fighting the urge to mate with Nick and getting riled up _at all_ causes me to lose that fight. We had sex in the cruiser yesterday because we both couldn't fight the urge. So if anything sets me off I'd be jumping him, not you."

"Oh well. A girl can dream, can't she?" Hopping down, Trisha moved off leaving Judy to finish her breakfast. "But this I gotta see," came a sly voice from right behind her. Trisha leapt straight up and gave Judy's ear a lick at the tip before falling back down. The gray bunny's ears went completely rigid as did her whole body before they settled down along her back. Hopping down, she had barely gotten her feet on the floor before she took off towards the hall.

"Goddammit," was the last thing Trisha heard before seeing Judy's belt come flying out into the kitchen. Trisha simply giggled before cleaning up the dishes.

* * *

"I can't believe you did that. Now we're gonna be late. And this really isn't a day to be coming in late, Carrots."

"It wasn't me! It's Trisha's fault. And besides, you weren't exactly fighting me off. If I recall correctly, you nearly tore my uniform to pieces trying to get me naked fast enough."

"Oh yeah? Well-...Yeah I got nothin." Judy giggled happily though still very nervous about what was going to happen when they go to the precinct. Luckily they weren't really late for roll call, but having to sit through it knowing Bogo would be dragging them to his office immediately after was going to be nerve wracking. Judy was upset with Nick's more cavalier attitude regarding the meeting even though she knew it was a front. If anything, he was more nervous than she was, though that didn't stop him from grabbing coffee on the way. _He's going to get us both fired. I can't believe he stopped for that,_ she thought hypocritically as she drank her own carrot flavored cup.

Pulling in, the pair hopped out quickly, dashing for the entrance and stumbling through the doors. The ever smiling cheetah behind the desk was mouthing 'Go go go' spurring them on to the doors, only minutes to spare. Sliding the last few feet, Nick pulled up and adopted a casual, laid back appearance before holding the door open for his mate. The room which had been very active, went quiet when the two mammals walked in. The odd looks they were getting mirrored the whispers that even Judy could not make out. They became very nervous though Nick hid it perfectly, having needed to get through much worse scrapes than dealing with co-workers.

Reaching their chair, the same mutterings and whispers following them as well as the stares, Nick scrambled up before leaning down to help his mate, something he did each morning. Turning to the desk, they saw a laminated photo waiting for them. Looking at it, the two suddenly got the joke and turned around to see the giant grins on everyone's faces. A huge laugh spread across the room, Judy and Nick joining in, although the rabbit doing so with some severely blushing ears. Raising up the photo, Nick gave it another look. It was a picture of their squad car emblazoned with 'Just married' over the back windows and the ceremonial cans tied to the bumper. It appeared as if they actually had done it to the cruiser before taking a photo but the two would bet they would cleaned it all off as well. Knowing Bogo that would earn the officer parking duty for a month. There was an interesting photoshop piece which set the whole joke in motion. 'If this cruiser's a rockin' don't come a knockin' graced the rear windshield. Another one read 'Wilde Thang' in the upper corner. It was good that many of the officers simply found their little 'cruiser distraction' as something to rib them for, not chastise them.

The side door banging open had the laughter stopping dead and the usual bellows from the officers pounding on the desks. "Settle down. Settle down!" The sight of a cape buffalo roaring louder than any of the large predators in the room could hope to achieve was always an impressive sight, one that never failed to make sure everyone knew who the boss in that precinct was. "I have three items on the docket today. Grizzoli. McHorn. We have a suspected drug lab here in Savannah Central. I want you two to check it out. Bring Wolford with you. Wolford," The timber wolf came up short, cocking his head at the chief. "Keep back this time. I don't need a repeat of the _last_ time you helped bust a drug lab." Giving off a grin, Wolford flicked a salute towards the buffalo and wandered out after the rhino.

"What happened last time?" Nick whispered to his partner.

"He ended up high as a kite and in the hospital for a week clutching every pillow he could find thinking they were giant marshmallows. After he nearly choked to death on one they wouldn't let him have a pillow the rest of the week." Nick grabbed his throat with a disturbed look on his face. "He also had to be sedated whenever they had to check some of his daily vitals after he grabbed the nurse and gave her a tongue bath on her head for about ten minutes before she was able to ring for help."

"Thompson. Forrest. Rainforest District. There was a hit and run early this morning. I want you to shadow the detectives on site and help with any scene control they need." Giving a sharp salute, the two felines grabbed the file and headed out. They appeared to be acting very professional that morning until Nick saw one spotted paw yank the base of a striped tail. Judy heard the distinct gasp from one of the felines before the pleasured hiss from the other. Looking at each other, Nick and Judy exchanged grins, each knowing what had just occurred.

"Fangmeyer. Pennington. Looks like a shipment of illegal Nighthowlers was found at the docks. Not enough to make it worth the hassle and the risk of being put in prison so there must be a larger stash. I want you to find them and radio in. We'll have a team ready." Grabbing the file, though appearing quite disturbed, Liz led Francine out of the room and headed for the garage.

"Nighthowlers. Why is it always Nighthowlers?" Falling back, a tired look in his eyes and a paw slapped across half his face, Nick seemed a decade older right then.

"Hey." Stroking his tail, Judy calmed him down and finally had him look in her direction. "We're not even on that case, don't worry about it. I'm sure it's a farmer thing. We- I mean my dad uses them as pest control. Now that they're illegal here I'm betting some farmers would be willing to pay a hefty price for them. We just have to worry about-" suddenly sensing a gaze on her, Judy stopped mid sentence and turned towards the front. The angry looking buffalo at the front snorted.

"Oh please. Don't let me interrupt your conversation. We'll just sit here and wait. Police work isn't all that time consuming." The tone of his voice seemed pleasant which told the two that they were in serious trouble with the Chief at that moment. They wisely shut their mouths and sat at attention. Snorting again, Bogo turned towards the rest of the officers. "Patrols. Same districts as yesterday. Not you two!" The fox and rabbit who had been about to slide from their chair, stopped dead. "My office. Now."

With the few remaining officers in the room giving them silent looks of pity, the two mammals hopped down from their perch and started after the Chief. It was a long way up the stairs for them as smaller mammals but neither felt all that winded from the climb. It did take them significantly longer however and by the time they had reached the fourth floor, Bogo had already entered his office and sat down, waiting for his two smallest officers to appear.

Judy, who had been in there a few times already, thought she knew what to expect. The office was large to mammals her size, the space around her seeming vast and intimidating. She could still remember her first trip in there. Her second day had seen her nearly lose her job and forced her to make a ridiculous wager where the odds were against her a thousand to one. It did end up leading her to the russet furred love of hers sitting next to her so it ended up being far more than just a workplace bet and she owed Bogo a lot for that, even if indirectly.

Nick, who's only time in the Chief's office had been in regards to his Academy application, felt a little more positive, although the sight of the glowering behemoth behind the desk certainly didn't do his nerves any good. His mask of indifference and his signature smirk was still in place, hoping to disarm the buffalo long enough to get them out of the office without a scratch, though he was fairly sure it wouldn't work.

Sitting there for several minutes, the two became slightly agitated which they knew was the whole point. Not only did he have much to do as the head of the ZPD, but making mammals wait put the ball in his court, something he loved to abuse to the fullest extent he can. Flipping close the file he was currently reading, the Chief fixed them with a pointed stare. "Ho-... _Wilde._ I got your fax this morning but I'm afraid I'm not much for med technical speak. Let's break it down on these 'heightened instincts' of yours."

Though she hadn't wanted to start this way, Judy knew it was the most effecient as the other mishap from yesterday dealt with them as well. "Yes sir. What you were told from the doctor is still completely true. The scent issue, the physical comfort, everything. But that's only part of the story." Bogo didn't move save for a raise of his brow which Judy took to mean continue. "Because Nick is a predator, I seem to have... _adopted_ some predator traits due to being savage when the Bond happened." Still giving no outer sign of his thoughts, Judy tried to finish quickly. "The base instincts that I, and pretty much most mammals have from long ago, are in a permanent _heightened_ state. If my home or my mate is threatened, I become extremely aggressive and prone to attacking that threat. If someone tries to take something of mine, specifically Nick from me _romantically,_ I get very territorial and the same will happen. Now, these I have learned a good amount of control over the last six months and have not had that many incidents, if any. And they've been off the clock."

"And the last one?" Bogo's voice cut through hers, the low boom seeming more impressive after not having spoken for a short while.

"Sir?"

"You, and this article," he waved a document in front of her, "suggest there's a third instinct. We both know what it is, so let's go over the specifics with this one as well." Leaning back, Bogo laid a hoof over his chin, making him seem contemplative.

"Yes sir." Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. "The third is in regards to...mating." Raising his brow, though he already knew what was coming, had her feeling very embarrassed. Neither her nor Nick ever were all that bothered by others knowing about their sex life, nor would they really care if they were caught in the act. But with their co-workers and friends, even their boss, it was different. They knew these mammals. They worked with them. And so it was much more difficult to discuss with them directly. They would rather be having sex in the bullpen in front of everyone than to talk about it with their boss.

"This is the one that's quite frankly the most difficult. I had a lot of trouble in regards to being territorial over Nick but I was able to learn how to control that. For the most part at least. But with mating, there is no control. You can tamper down on anger and jealously, learn how to bypass it or live with it. But mating is too primal. The drive is too strong. And it's in an area on it's own where self-control only works to a point." Raising her chin defiantly, she fixed the Chief with a stare. "I'm sorry about it happening in the squad car and on duty, but it's not something I can control. Nick, being in winter, has it as bad as I do" looking shocked and dismayed at having been dragged unwillingly into the topic tried to appear nonchalant, "but even if it wasn't winter, for me to be denied is a very dangerous thing. It happened before at the start of our relationship and ever since the... _incident_ a couple of months ago, it's only gotten stronger."

Flopping back on the chair, Judy suddenly felt tired. Having to stand up to the Chief had taken a lot of her willpower and that used up a good amount of her physical strength not to fold under his glare, though he was more thoughtful than angry this time. Staring at her, the buffalo appeared to be having an internal battle with himself. Perhaps to give himself more time, his attention shifted to the fox sitting next to her. "Wilde. You're here because we need to discuss what happened between you and a certain 'Jimmy Catterton'." Picking up one of the sheets in front of him, he pulled out his glasses and read one of the paragraphs. "It says here you tranquilized the suspect who was not fleeing or resisting arrest. You then drove him to the abandoned docks and chained him to a post, where, at this point, you 'threatened him, pretended to go savage, coerced a confession from and then tranquilized him again.' Does that sound accurate?"

"To be fair, Chief. I never threatened him. I simply sprinkled some rocks into the water. How he got threatening from that..." Nick shrugged. Bogo looked over his glasses and glared at him.

"Cute." Tossing his glasses onto the desk, he pointed menacingly at the vulpine. "If you hadn't have gotten that confession, you know what would have happened, Wilde? Catterton would have sued the ZPD and won. You would have lost your job. And a jewel thief and the mammal that assaulted your partner would be free once more and it would be nearly impossible to levy those charges against him again." The fact that the fox wasn't wavering under his stare had the buffalo slightly unnerved. "As it was, you did get the confession and now Mr. Catterton is awaiting arraignment. His claims are being viewed as someone who assaulted an officer trying to find an excuse. That does not make it right and there will be consequences, Wilde." Nick sat up looking straight at the Chief. Snorting, he turned to Judy instead.

"Ho- _Wil-..._ screw it. _Judy._ We have a problem here. These instincts are out of your control." Raising a hoof as she began to protest, he waited until she sat back down before continuing. "You attacked the suspect last night in the lobby and even when he was cuffed and no longer resisting, multiple mammals in the precinct describe you as 'poised to crush the small feline's head in.' Does that sound about right?" The silence and guilty look on her hung head was all he needed. "The two of you have things you need to work out. I'm not so concerned with the fraternization, even on the clock. That appears to be a medical issue and even though it's unorthodox, it's something we will need to work around. But this," he waved at the two reports. "This is unacceptable for my officers. I cannot have you going around the law," he stared at Nick, "or taking punishment into your own paws," he directed at Judy. "I don't like doing this, but you've tied my hooves." Looking at them gravely, he softened his voice and his look slightly. "I'm suspending you for two weeks."

"Sir you can't-"

"That's not fair-"

"Quiet!" His bellow caught them off guard and they immediately settled down. "I need officers who are going to obey the law and not take it upon themselves to violate it. You Judy, need to work on your self control. I want you to take this time to work on that more. Your aggressiveness is my main concern. Your romantic life isn't something I care about unless it interferes with your duties." He swept the same glare towards Nick and held it on him. "Wilde. What you did was unethical and illegal. You're lucky I don't have your ass in a cell next to that cat." Staring at him even harder, Nick felt as if his eyes were trying to burn straight through to his soul. "You need to get back on the right side of the line, Wilde. Do you understand me? Do you _both_ understand me?" The two mammals nodded, looking very contrite. "Good. Now get the hell out of my office. I don't want to see you two back here until a week from Monday." Nick turned around to point out how that's not exactly two weeks when his mate reached over and yanked him by the tail. With a strangled yelp, the todd quickly followed after her before closing the door.

Bogo put his head in his hooves. "He's pushing it, John. I can only protect him so far."

* * *

The couple's ride home was always filled with talk. It could be anything from the cases they had worked on to office gossip to what was for dinner. It was always light-hearted, sometimes heavy with banter and sarcastic wit. Today was a much different experience. Sent home before the clock had even struck nine, the two were sitting in Nick's car, riding silently along the busy streets. The loss of their badges and sidearms, though temporary, had the effect of making the two seem _less_. As if a part of them were missing. For Judy it was troubling. Without her shield, she almost felt naked. It was something she had worked for all her life and now, for the second time in that life, she was without it. The first time may have been voluntary, but it had hurt no less than now when it had been forcibly removed from her paws.

Nick was feeling just as bad, if not worse. He had to deal with the loss of his own shield, the thing that represented how much of a changed mammal he had become. Having it gone from his pocket or no longer pinned on his uniform, made him feel as if it had all been a dream. Like he was not the changed mammal he thought he was. He suddenly wouldn't be surprised if he woke up and found himself suddenly hustling again. Worst of all was the feeling that he had caused his mate to lose hers, and that was something he was having trouble living with.

"I'm sorry, Carrots." He kept his eyes on the road so as not to see the redness he knew must be growing underneath her eyes, so he did not see the quizzical look on her face.

"Why are you apologizing?" There was something odd in the sound of her voice, but Nick still refused to look over.

"I cost you your badge. For the second time, it would seem." The scoff coming from that side of the car finally had him turned to her direction. He was surprised to see no tears, no redness around her eyes, no runny nose. She appeared disgruntled, maybe a little upset, but none of the standard characteristics of someone about to cry.

"Don't flatter yourself, Slick. The first time I gave it up was because I had hurt all predators, not cause of you." Seeing the glance he gave her from the corner of his eye made her shift uncomfortably. "Okay, _maybe_ it had something to do with you, but you didn't cost me anything. That was my choice. Just like this time was."

"Yeah but I was the idiot who pulled that stupid little stunt and dragged his furry butt into the precinct." The sound of guilt in his voice did nothing except to piss the rabbit off.

"And did you make me attack him? Did you make me nearly stomp his head in? No! I did that. I did that because I lost control. Again!" Slumping back and letting out a defeated sigh, Judy looked out her side window. "The Chief is right. I need to get a better handle on this. I can't just be attacking mammals left and right. When the margay was down I should have stopped but I didn't. Maybe this suspension is a good thing."

Looking over at her appraisingly, Nick gave her a small smirk. "Did I hear right? The famed Judy Wilde is _glad_ to be suspended?"

"I'm not glad, you goof. I'm just thinking it's not one hundred percent a bad thing. Besides it's only temporary." She turned and looked back out her window. _Only temporary._

Ten minutes later the pair was walking back into the lobby of their apartment complex. Dave, the ever friendly doorman gave them a wave. "You guys are back early. And weren't you wearing different clothes?" He gave them a wink as if he knew what they had been up to. Returning the smile the two got in the elevator before dropping it, neither of them really feeling in a good mood. Normally the ride of the elevator shaft was filled with their laughter, happy at being home once more and getting ready to start relaxing after a long day. Now, they were once again surrounded by silence. They were returning home after not even being gone two hours and would not be going back for two weeks. It was definitely not something they felt needed to be celebrated. At least not today.

Loud music reached out to them as they reached their floor. Nick recognized it as some of the rock albums he tended to listen to. Currently 'Thunderstruck' by AC/DC was rattling the floor beneath their paws. Luckily, the entire floor was filled with daytime workers who would not be home to complain about the noise, but it was still the responsibility of the tenants to keep it down for both the residents above and below them. The two looked at each and mouthed the same thing 'Trisha.'

Reaching their apartment, Nick pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. The deafening sound was much louder in the room. Judy had her eyes scrunched up and her ears pulled down low trying to block out the sound. Even for Nick, who had never played his music this loud before, it was thoroughly unpleasant. Entering the apartment, Nick saw Trisha's ears sticking up over the couch. Pointing at the stereo, Nick motioned to himself and pointed Judy towards Trisha. She nodded heading in the direction of the brown bunny.

Nick reached his objective first, shutting off the music mid-solo. Whipping around to berate their house-guest he suddenly stopped, his jaw hanging open. Laid out on the couch, her face covered in a fur moisturizing lotion, was Trisha. Naked. Judy noticed her mate's hanging jaw and moved towards him, concerned something was wrong until she noticed him staring at the couch. Turning her head, she also froze, noticing the bare fur of her friend stretched out along the cushions. She couldn't help but let her eyes flow over the bunny's form that was nearly as fit as her own. Much as she told her that morning, Judy was always on edge and this was not helping.

Grabbing her mate's paw, she dragged him towards the bedroom. "Goddammit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: Next chapter will feature the lovely kittehs!
> 
> The chapter is much shorter than I normally put out (although that may not be such a bad thing going forward. IDK yet) It's purpose is to set up for upcoming chapters rather than continue the current storyline. Although we finally got to deal with that troublesome Margay!


	25. Chapter 29 - A New Point of View 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I stole Mickey's wizard hat so I could use magic to get the rights to Zootopia. Turns out it only works on broomsticks. Like that's it. It seriously only works on broomsticks.

The sweet smell of freshly cooked eggs permeated the apartment, snaking it's way under the firmly closed door and tickling the nose of the slumbering striped cat, jostling the feline from a pleasant dream she could not remember. Waking up to the sound of a frying pan going and the scent of breakfast being cooked was the way most mammals, if given the choice, would prefer to be woken up. Stretching her limbs, the tigress let out a loud yawn with a muffled roar. Her paws hit the wall above the headboard and she had to control herself not to leave gouges with her claws. It may be something minor to tigers, but to the landlord and also her roommate, it would most likely be a cause to be charged for the repairs, if not simply kicked out.

Turning and flicking off the fan she had positioned next to her bed, Lylah licked her dry lips. She was sorely tempted to pull the covers back up over her head and go back to sleep, though she knew that was not going to happen. If she waited too long, such as she had done on Monday, she knew her roommate would come in to make sure she would get up. While the idea of her girlfriend coming into her room this early in the morning might be something to welcome, Tammy tended to play a much different game. There was no waking kisses, no soft caresses with whispers of sweet nothings, or certain promises if she was to get up. Instead, Tammy had gotten a cup of water and started sprinkling her with it until she finally roared and chased the giggling cheetah from the room.

Checking the time, Lylah saw it was roughly ten minutes until her alarm would go off. _Not enough time to even get comfortable let alone go back to sleep. Ugh. Screw it._ Swinging her legs out from under the sheets, she moved to the edge of the bed and slowly started stretching the rest of her body. Turning her head rapidly to the side until she heard a crack, she grabbed it with both paws and bent her neck side to side, causing further cracking sounds to resonate through the small room. A feeling of relief passed through the feline though she knew it wasn't the proper way to handle a stiff neck. Looking around her room, she marveled at the fact that she had her own place, even though the room was medium sized at best and she had to share the apartment. It still beat living in her mother's basement by a long shot.

Reaching over to her bedside table, she grabbed the glass of water she always brought with her to bed and took a drink, taking care of her parched throat. The apartment was a relatively dry environment which suited Tammy perfectly. Lylah on the other paw was a mammal that required a lot of moisture as part of her daily life. As a guest in her girlfriend's apartment, she refused to bring it up to her, settling instead for trying to handle it by drinking extra water and running the humidifier currently situated in the corner by the window. It served it's purpose well enough making her room comfortable enough to sleep in.

Standing, Lylah switched off the humidifier before heading out into the hall, smoothing her ruffled head fur and yanking down her favorite night shirt, an oversized jersey of the Rainforest district soccer team 'The Monsoons', that had gradually moved up her taut stomach, and her tight shorts barely coming halfway down her thighs. Moving into the kitchen, the sight of a gorgeous cheetah in a pink spaghetti strap top barely reaching a pair of light blue panties had her freezing still, her jaw dropping down. For the past several days, Tammy had been waking her up in different articles of clothing, ranging from fully dressed to tight shorts and tank tops. This time was much different. The alluring sight had made Lylah's mind go completely blank, all thoughts of greeting the cheetah flying from her head.

The audible gulp had Tammy turning around to see her tigress's eyes wide, completely focused on her rear. Giggling, she gave it a little shake, her tail twitching back and forth. The wiggle had the effect of making her follow her girlfriend's assets, deepening the desire even further before it snapped her from the trance. Suddenly aware of where she was and what she was doing, she sheepishly looked up to see Tammy give her a slow wink with a seductive grin on her face.

For Tammy, the look of the striped beauty was as equally sexy. Her fur sticking up in several places gave her an innocent appearance and the tantalizing view of her muscular legs running up her thighs, only stopped by a very small pair of shorts and hidden by the tail ends of a long jersey made the whole package feel like a present the cheetah couldn't wait to unwrap.

Neither made a move on the other however. While they had had spent long times kissing and nuzzling each other, even employing their teeth for the occasional nibble of the neck or using a claw to boop each other on the nose, they had refrained from going any further. They both wanted to, that much was certain, but they feared rushing the whole experience. Such a relationship was rare for them and while they both felt it was going to be a permanent one, there was still the fear that if they moved too fast they might lose everything. So they settled for the little things, such as the kiss between the two of them saying good morning as Tammy finished with the breakfast.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this but, I really hope we're back on patrols today." Lylah scooped up some eggs before slipping them in between her teeth. "I'm not saying yesterday was boring, but yesterday was boring. I mean traffic duty? There's an accident right there and we gotta run car interference while the other mammals get to actually investigate the scene."

Sighing along with the tigress, Tammy showed she had been disappointed too. "I know Pretty Kitty, but that's just the problem we run into sometimes. We aren't always going to get the choice assignments." Taking a sip of coffee, she looked like she was going to continue speaking but thought against it. Something had been nagging Lylah though and continued to do so each and every morning since they were partnered up.

"Hey Flower? Do you...do you regret being my partner?" Keeping her eyes downward, she let her ears flick towards the cheetah. There was silence for several seconds which Lylah tried to interpret one way or another. The scrape of a chair and the soft patter of paws on linoleum were all that she heard, but she felt the soft touch of a paw on her cheek that lifted her head. Sneaking in between the tigress and the table, Tammy sat on Lylah's knee. Cradling the striped cat's head, she brought it to her neck.

"Why would you ever think that, Pretty Kitty? I love being your partner." Having a sudden problem with concentrating now that her girlfriend's scantily clad rear was practically sitting on her lap, Lylah tried to focus.

"Well...you've been there a long time and you should be getting interesting cases. But instead you're stuck with a rookie and forced to do boring patrol work." Nuzzling into her neck, Lylah was both thrilled and nervous to feel the cheetah subtly bring her down to her chest where her nuzzling increased.

"Pretty Kitty. Patrol or case, it doesn't matter. As long as I can get along with my partner, both are equally okay. I mean sure, a good case is fun and intriguing, but it wouldn't feel the same without you nearby working with me." Dragging her tongue along Lylah's head, she smiled feeling the tigress shiver. Noticing the shift of her head turning into her chest, Tammy quickly stood up before Lylah could return the favor with her much larger tongue along her fur. "Sorry Pretty Kitty. Gotta get that shower done if we're gonna be on time."

Lylah let out a small growl at losing her chance but decided to feign disinterest. Watching Tammy grab a towel and start heading towards the shower, she kept the sight of her rear in the corner of her eye until her girlfriend turned her head back around. Quickly taking a sip of coffee in an attempt to appear not guilty about checking her out, she missed the sly smile on Tammy's face. "Could always join me though."

Coffee sprayed across the entire kitchen table.

* * *

The two felines had been slightly late and had to jog out of the apartment in order to catch the trolley that ran by their building each morning. It may not have been the fastest mode of transportation, but since it went all the way down one block before the precinct, it was definitely helpful for them. They were relatively silent during the ride and had been ever since Tammy had decided to take her shower.

Lylah was upset with herself. She had refused to take the offer which she wasn't sure if it had been made in jest or not but she had been too cowardly to find out. As such she was berating herself repeatedly. She was still afraid of messing things up and her immaturity in relationships was not helping matters. The idea of being able to be next to Tammy in such an intimate setting, one where nothing came between them, not even their clothes, had been such an exciting prospect for the tigress that it had frightened her with it's intensity.

Tammy was on the other side of the extreme. She had been very serious about her offer to the younger feline. She agreed that they should wait to become fully intimate, but after having taken part in the biting and licking and kissing with her for the last couple of weeks, which was even more intense now that they were living together, she felt that they needed to step up a pace. Especially after the courtship ritual Lylah had started the week previous. Unfortunately her offer had been rejected which led to her feeling a bit insecure about herself. It was unfounded but doubts still tended to leak in about whether or not she was attractive enough or maybe that she was pushing her Kitty too fast and may scare her off.

Reaching the turn, Lylah and Tammy hopped down from the trolley, taking care not to let their feet get crushed by the vehicle. Luckily there was very few cars going by so the wait to walk across the street went relatively quick, though Lylah did have to snag the collar on a young warthog who had decided to rush ahead into traffic without his mother. After thanking the officer profusely, the female boar admonished her son with some words that made even Tammy's ears blush.

Entering the precinct, they gave a cheerful wave to Ben who squealed in delight at the pair. He had taken to the newest unlikely couple with great gusto, often complimenting them on how cute they were together or suggestions on where they might take each other on dates. Being a cheetah himself, Lylah had approached him a couple of times to get his advice on what Tammy might like for dates or gifts. This morning however, while he did seem very happy to see them, he also looked a bit lackluster and they knew why. The suspension of the Wildes had hit everyone hard but nobody as hard as the friendly dispatch officer.

Making their way to the bullpen, Tammy suddenly grabbed Lylah's paw and dragged her down a side corridor, one which was rarely frequented as it only held office and janitorial supplies. Moving about halfway down, just out of sight of the main lobby, Tammy looked ahead to see no one by the supply room and turned her gaze back to the tigress. A heated look in her eyes had Lylah swallowing hard. Putting one paw on the tigress's chest, the cheetah pushed her up against the wall hard. Though Lylah was much stronger than the slim feline, the surprise of her actions had caught her off guard. Feeling the soft touch of Tammy's lips on hers had her floating in the clouds until she pulled away. This time, Tammy lunged as if going for the kill, pressing their lips together hard, their mouths opening and letting their tongues flick in an out, tasting the other. This lasted nearly a minute before they both fell back breathing heavily.

"Wow." All the tigress could do was stare aimlessly, having trouble focusing on anything in front of her. "Just wow."

"Mmmm, same for me Pretty Kitty." Looking pained, she moved towards her Kitty and wrapped her arms tight around her strong chest. "I'm sorry if I was pushing you too fast this morning. I don't want to rush anything and I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable." Pressing her cheek to Lylah's, she nuzzled her affectionately. Feeling a paw on her cheek, she looked up to see the tigress's eyes brimming with tears.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Flower. It wasn't anything you did this morning. It was me. I really wanted to join you. I was just so excited I got a bit scared and I let that force me to sit at the table banging my head into it repeatedly." Her sheepish smile had the cheetah giggling behind a paw clamped over her mouth.

"Well, that's just great. Both of us thinking we did something stupid and it cost us thirty minutes of conversation. Why don't we just agree that we'll talk about these things whenever they hit rather than let them stew." Lylah nodded in agreement before looking at her watch, her eyes bulging. Tammy grabbed her wrist and turned it so she could see. Her own panic hit as they had less than ten minutes to get into the bullpen and in their seats before the Chief arrived.

Not letting go of her Kitty's wrist, Tammy took off down the hall, practically dragging her along. The sudden reappearance of the two from down the hall had Clawhauser gasping on a donut, trying not to choke on it. He knew there was no work related reason for them to be down that hallway and he desperately wanted to ask what had happened but the two were gone before he could unstick his throat from the sugary treat.

Entering, the normally loud room was still chaotic but it was fractionally subdued with an occasional glance towards the front row where an infamous chair sat empty, two mammals missing from the room. Tammy and Lylah took the hit the hardest, both having formed a friendly attachment to the pair. The tigress had spent over six months of her life with the vulpine and the cheetah had been partnered with the hyperactive rabbit many times, always having a great time with her. Now to see their chair empty for the next two weeks made the room a little less bright.

The side door opening wide, the room changed from rowdy to ritualistic, the officers slamming their hooves and paws on the tables, grunting as a group. The two felines also joined in, Lylah's larger paws outshining her partner's. "Alright, settle down. Settle down!" Waiting for the last of the mammals to quiet, the Chief glared at the room before putting on his glasses. "I have four things on the docket today. First, as everyone can see and probably knows by now, the Wildes have been suspended for the next two weeks. This was a command decision made by myself and I will not be going into details, though I doubt the confidentiality of it will remain intact by the end of the day. Damn gossip runs through here like wildfire," the Chief muttered under his breath. "Assignments. Wolford. Delgato. A new gang has been rumored to be recruiting members. They're drug peddlers and have been linked to black market arms. This is a reconnaissance mission _only_. Get in, get any info you can, and get out. No risks. If it's not going to work, back off. These mammals have more firepower than we can handle without intel. It may come down to a SWAT take down." Looking serious, the wolf and lion grabbed the file and headed out. Though they were both known for joking around, Wolford especially, they also knew when it was time to put professionalism first.

Several of the officers watched them leave with envy, others with scared expressions. All eyes snapped back to front as the Chief held up a second file. "Jackson. Fangmeyer. There's a nightclub in the Rainforest district rumored to be selling Nip. It's exclusive to big cats so you're going to pose as a couple and go in with the intent to purchase a decent quantity of the drug. Take the morning hours to get fitted with wires and undercover outfits. We'll also have your fur temporarily darkened for the assignment. The club opens at 9:00 pm so you two will be expected to be in position by then. Dismissed." Lylah and Tammy both could tell Liz was not happy about the assignment. Jackson was well known for being a bit of an ass and also a shameless flirt regardless if a female was taken or not, and one of his prime targets had been officer Fangmeyer. Indeed, as the two were headed up, Lylah clearly heard Jackson whisper something about being excited to be working 'so closely together' which made her mirror Fangmeyer's look of nausea.

"Higgins. Snarlov. Automobile pieces bought at a repair shop in Tundratown have been linked back to stolen cars in the area. Investigate. See if we have a new chop-shop in town and if this repair shop is linked." Higgins, who did not seem to enjoy the idea of being sent to the bitter cold of the snowy region, maintained an air of professionalism as he took the file before following his polar bear partner. Looking out over the rest of the assembled officers, Bogo swept the room, seeming to analyze everyone. "Standard patrols. Johnson. I want you to take Meadowlands today. Forrest and Thompson. Rainforest District. Dismissed."

* * *

Far more at home in the rain and tree habitat than the blinding sand and scorching sun, Lylah couldn't help but feel much better than she had the last few days and part of last week. The constant sight of water nearby was comforting to the striped feline whose instincts demanded a way to cool off and rehydrate often. It wasn't one she needed to partake in, her evolved mind able to resist such temptation, but that didn't stop the underlying desire.

Tammy was having her own difficult with her instincts, though it was for very different reasons. Being a mammal designed for high heat and low humidity, she was quite uncomfortable being in the natural environment of her partner. The sight of the water wasn't much of a concern but the height of the trees and the possibility of being over a thousand feet off the ground was. Not to mention the regular rainfall that was produced for the denizens of the rainforest. She was more than okay with taking warm showers, but when she got wet she wanted it on her own terms. The humidity was also a factor, the thick air practically choking her. Luckily, having lived in Zootopia for years and being a cop for another four, she had learned to adapt to the unforgiving terrains her body was not designed for, though they did still tend to make her uneasy. Being next to her girlfriend did help though. She was able to concentrate on her whenever the feelings got too intense.

"Do you ummm, want to talk more about what happened today?" The question slipped from Tammy's mouth before she could clamp down on her thoughts. She was still feeling a bit insecure, regardless of how their earlier conversation had gone. The idea that she may not be matching up to what Lylah desired was something she just couldn't shake.

"I thought we took care of that? Are you still upset I didn't join you? I mean, I really wanted to I'm just...I'm nervous, Flower." Fiddling with her claws, Lylah kept her head down. "I mean, it took a loss of control just to do the... _the thing_ on Friday. I don't really know what I'm doing. The last relationship I had was in high school and, while my parents were supportive, hers weren't. They forced her to kill it after a couple of weeks." Running a paw over her eyes, she sighed heavily. "Worst summer of my life. Then it didn't help when I got back to school and everyone knew what I was into which was still very taboo. Didn't make many friends after that."

"Oh Pretty Kitty." Getting a better understanding of where she had been coming from that morning, Tammy paused trying to form her sentence the way it needed to be said. "Are you afraid that I'll leave you too?" Her gaze averted out the window, Lylah slowly nodded. Her heart breaking, the cheetah reached over and clasped her paw. "You don't need to worry about us, Kitty. I'm not going to abandon you." Gathering her courage, she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I...I love you, my Pretty Kitty."

Whipping her head around, her eyes wide with shock, Lylah could only stare at the now nervous and blushing feline. She was waiting for a response but her nerves were wracked, unable to utter another word. Smiling softly, Lylah squeezed her paw in return. "I love you too, Flower."

The tears in their eyes threatening to spill over had both of them unable to look away for several seconds until the sound of a horn jostled them from the moment. Tammy had allowed the cruiser to slow well below the speed limit as the two had shared the moment as they declared to each other. Exchanging a glance, they broke into heavy giggles before the senior officer of the two resumed traveling at normal speed. "Let's wait until after our shift next time to reveal something personal like that. I don't need a complaint from a pissed off driver causing us to get separated."

"Probably a good idea," Lylah agreed. She really enjoyed the time she got to spend with her girlfriend both on and off the job. Every moment in the cruiser was a bonus as far as she was concerned. "So um, any chance we'll get another event like the wolves last week? I'm getting kind of antsy for some action."

Tammy couldn't help but grin. "Honestly, I hope not. I don't need to see you taking on two wolves at once like last time. You had me worried. Although it was pretty hot seeing you take em down while barely breaking a sweat." _And even hotter when you pinned me against the wall after._ She suffered a small shiver up her spine at the memory of the intense gaze boring into her very soul, the strength in those large paws, and the heat flowing from her lips.

Blushing beneath her fur, Lylah was pleased by the praise. "You weren't so bad yourself. That take down on the white one was practically flawless. I've never seen a sleeper hold like that. Where did you learn it?"

Beaming, she had to hide the overwhelming smile her Kitty's comment had caused. "You liked that, huh? I took self-defense classes when I was younger. My father made it mandatory when I wanted to learn karate like my brothers."

"He wouldn't let you do karate?" Lylah was puzzled. From what Tammy had told her about her family, it didn't seem to fit with the characteristics she had described.

"Oh no, nothing like that. I was a year too young to join the classes so he had me take those to get my body and mind prepared." She smiled mischievously. "I surpassed my brothers again. I hold a black belt in karate, a 4th degree black belt in Judo, and a Black and red belt in Jiu-Jitsu." She frowned, a little bothered by having to clarify her belt color. "I would have progressed further but when I joined the force my training pretty much ended. Although they do teach some pretty advanced stuff at the Academy." Winking at her partner slyly, she added, "Nothing like I learned though. I passed top of the class in sparring and takedowns. I'm probably the best in the precinct a well."

"Better than Judy? Wow. I'm impressed. She kicked my ass during her training seminar at the Academy." The look of embarrassment on Tammy's face had the tigress puzzled for a second before she grinned widely. "She didn't." A glance away from her had Lylah gloating even more. "Oh my god, she did. The tiny bunny beat a master of martial arts such as yourself?"

"That rabbit is insane! I'm a cheetah! One of the fastest mammals in the world and I could barely follow her! I don't know how she does it, I can tell you." Shuddering at remembering their last encounter with each other, Tammy swallowed hard. "She hurts but she's not strong enough to knock you down. But the repeated strikes...it's just ridiculous."

Sighing at her own memories of fighting the insane ball of gray fur, Lylah sympathized. "Yeah. She took me down hard in less than five moves. I swear she taught Foxy some stuff too. He was quick and when he hit you it was like being hit by a truck."

Raising her brow, Tammy gave her a look of doubt. "I wouldn't figure he was that strong. He certainly doesn't look it."

Surprised, Lylah glanced over noting the look on her face. "Oh god no. He's strong, overly strong for a fox, but nothing on that scale. No, that bastard studied and studied hard. He read books and books on anatomy. He learned every pressure point for every mammal his size or larger. If he wanted to, he could take down Bogo."

"...Damn."

* * *

"So what's for lunch?" Reaching midday without anything more exciting than a jaywalker they didn't even bother ticketing, it was exciting to reach lunchtime just for the sake of being able to get out of the cruiser. It wasn't the company bothering the tigress, merely being stuck in one spot without stretching properly was causing some unfortunate cramping in her thighs and the occasional bored drumming of her claws on the handle of her door.

"What, just because I'm the senior officer I have to choose lunch?" The smirk on the slimmer mammal's face betrayed her scolding tone, her playfulness showing through the facade.

"Nope. You're just the one driving." Tammy, surprised by the quick retort, turned back to her now grinning girlfriend.

"Heh. Sly Kitty."

"Dumb Flower."

The two mammals looked at each other, each realizing what they had just said. "Oh god. We're becoming like them!"

"Now now. Don't be so hasty, Pretty Kitty. We're not like them. We're just...filling in while they're gone." The look her partner gave her made her feel stupid. "Yeah okay, that was lame. Maybe we're just jealous of them."

"Jealous? Of Foxy and Flopsy?" Laughing, Lylah pounded on her armrest.

"Well yeah. I mean they're so perfect for each other that they clicked almost immediately, going from purely despising one another to less than forty eight hours being hopelessly in love with each other. It's pretty damn romantic."

Reaching over, the tigress scratched the other feline behind her ears, causing her to let out a loud purr. "Maybe. But I have my Flower. I have no need to be jealous of anyone." Her blush spread over her face and down her chest, making the cruiser suddenly feel very warm. Tammy guessed that if they had been parked, Lylah would not be safe from her attack.

Composing herself and attempting to banish the rather risque thoughts consuming her imagination, Tammy cleared her throat. "There's a cafe near here we could try. We could also backtrack to that diner we passed a little while ago."

"I'm feeling light. Haven't done much to get too hungry so the cafe works for me. Maybe a small sandwich and a bag of chips." While Lylah tended to devour a lot of food to gain energy when given the opportunity, it was always worked off with their high risk jobs and her own training regimen at the ZPD gym. However, with relatively no movement all morning, her body was not demanding copious amounts of calories. The silence from her partner had her glancing over, concern flowing over her at the stiffness in the cheetah's body. "Flower? You okay?"

Starting to shake slightly, Tammy stammered at her. "Di-did you s-say san-sandwiches?"

* * *

"Seriously Flower, that was pretty disgusting." One overly satisfied cheetah wandered out of the small cafe followed at a distance by a mortified tigress who attempted to hide her face from the other patrons, though the fact that both felines were wearing ZPD uniforms, the odds they wouldn't be pegged together was pretty much an impossibility. Having spent the better part of the last half hour watching bread, meat, vegetables and heaping amounts of condiments disappearing into the gaping maw of her partner was frankly unnerving.

"I don't know what you're complaining about, Pretty Kitty. Those sandwiches were delicious. I noticed you were enjoying yours." Licking the leftover mayo off her lips, Tammy let out a content purr.

"Was. _Was_ enjoying it. But once you had devoured your third in ten minutes my appetite suddenly left me. I know you made the waitress's day with her tip, but it looked like she was going to throw up at one point."

"I think you're just jealous I have a healthy appetite for sandwiches." Shaking her head, Lylah gave her a look of pity.

"No, you have an unhealthy _obsession_ with sandwiches." It was true that Tammy tended to prefer them over most other types of food, but the lengths she would go to in order to obtain one was known to only a few. Now that 'few' included Lylah who had been rather disturbed by it. "Honestly I'm surprised you didn't choke on that second one. Did you even chew it?"

Opening the cruiser door, Tammy hopped in, her partner following suit on the passenger side. "Who has time for chewing? Besides, it was only a triple layer club sandwich with horseradish on whole wheat. Easy peasy." Lylah made an exaggerated gagging sound that had Tammy grinning viciously. "One day Pretty Kitty, I will open your mind to the wonderful world of sandwiches that only Tammy Thompson can deliver."

"If that 'wonderful world' includes the tuna sub roll with jalapenos, swiss cheese, and spicy mustard you had when we walked in, I'm out sick that day. Because if I eat something like that I'll be out sick for a month." Laughing outright, Tammy put the vehicle in drive and headed out back onto the road. Lylah turned towards her, curiosity getting the best of her. "How on Earth do you still have that sexy slim figure when you devour entire menus at whim?"

"Super crazy fast metabolism, my gorgeous Kitty."

"Jeez. Is there anything you don't do fast?" Lylah joked. The sudden feel of a soft paw and sharp claws being dragged up her thigh had her shivering.

"There are several things that I can do. Nice," her claws moved slower while traveling up Lylah's leg. "And," the sensation reached her hips making the tigress start to pant. "Slow." The paw pressed between her legs eliciting a small 'mew' from the feline.

Dragging her paw away, Tammy smiled happily letting the tigress bask in her arousal. "Like that, Pretty Kitty?" Her eyes closed, all Lylah could do was nod happily though a bit frustrated, something the cheetah had been counting on. "Maybe later we can play a bit more back at home." Looking a bit more relaxed and excited at that assurance, Lylah let herself sink back into the cruiser's seat, a low purr emanating from her throat. The crackling of the radio broke the spell and both took their gaze off the road to stare at it.

_"All units, we have a report of shots fired on the northern edge of Downtown near the Rainforest District tunnel. Any cars in the area, respond."_

Tammy looked over at Lylah and, getting a stern nod of agreement, grabbed up the radio. "This is Z-117. We're near the tunnel. Can be at location in under five minutes."

" _Z-221 here. Can backup Z-117. Nine minutes out."_

_"Roger Z-221. Z-117, suspect is a female moose. Armed with a semi-automatic pistol. No wounded or dead civilians reported. Callers have described her as agitated. Approach with caution."_

"Understood dispatch." Hanging up the radio, Tammy took a hard left and pressed the pedal down. "Alright Pretty Kitty. You haven't been through something like this so you need to listen to me and do everything I tell you without question. Can you do that for me?" Feeling a strong paw on her shoulder, she reached up and caressed it with her own.

"I trust you, Flower. You haven't led me wrong so far. Besides, we have plans later and I expect you to be there." Tammy glanced over at her with a wide grin and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Images flashed through her mind's eye, all of them rather inappropriate for the current situation they were about to be in, but it was difficult to control her imagination these days.

"Let's end this quick and maybe Buffalo Butt will let us go home early." Seeing the amused expression on her partner's face, Tammy shrugged. "It's catchy. Blame the fox." Lylah simply chuckled making a mental note to tell Nick the next time she saw him.

Reaching the tunnel, the cruiser barely slowed down, weaving between cars, the lights flashing on the darkened walls casting shadows of everything between them and the curved surface. Sirens were rarely necessary in the tunnels as everyone would be able to see the flashing colors in their mirrors or all around them, although there would be a few mammals who either weren't paying attention enough to move over or were just arrogant or rude and simply refused leaving the officers to find the quickest path through, often utilizing the oncoming lanes. Daylight up ahead of them had them slowing. Exiting a darkened tunnel into bright light always took a small adjustment and while the cruiser's darkened window tints would handle the transition just fine, other mammals, driving with standard windshields, would have a much harder time and were at risk to accidentally hit the cruiser as they left the tunnel behind.

Tammy who was focuses on driving through the ever changing traffic, motioned for Lylah to key the radio. "Z-117 to dispatch. Exited tunnel into Downtown. Update on suspect location?"

_"Dispatch to Z-117. Suspect is still reported at 10th and Center."_

"Roger Dispatch. Half mile from location." Whipping left and barreling through four lanes of traffic, all who had come to a stop at the sight of the cruiser's flashing lights, the duo headed down the street. Seeing mammals running away from the location they were headed to, they figured the suspect must be making some noise and scaring them off. Lylah rolled down her window, listening intently hoping to hear more than just screaming mammals and stampeding hooves. A gunshot would help her know if the mammal they were looking for was still nearby, though that was exactly what she prayed she wouldn't hear. Each gunshot could mean an innocent victim could be hurt or possibly killed.

Reaching the intersection, they were pleased to know they wouldn't need to go searching far for the suspect as the cow was standing directly in front of them, slowly spinning while brandishing a pistol in her hoof. Jackknifing the cruiser across the intersection to prevent more cars from coming near, Tammy had Lylah get out of her side before scrambling to follow her, keeping the vehicle between them and the moose.

Turning what she hoped was a calm face to her partner, she placed a paw on the rookie's shoulder. "Okay, Kitty. Here's how this is going to go down. I'm going to attempt to talk to her. Find out if she's okay. What's happening. Why she is firing the pistol. Hopefully she will be willing to talk to us. That gives us a chance to talk her down. End this peacefully and not have anyone hurt."

Peering over the cruiser's hood, Lylah could see the agitated moose watching the car intently. "And if she doesn't?" After several seconds with no response, she turned to see her partner with her back against the car door, looking incredibly drained.

"If she doesn't, then we have to bring her down to prevent anyone else from being shot. If we can tranq her, more's the better. But if it comes down to live fire, only take the shot if I can't, alright?" Getting a nod from the young tigress, Tammy returned it. "Alright. Let's move in. I'm going to talk to her over the hood. I want you down near the trunk viewing through the rear windows."

Watching her obey the commands she was given without hesitation, Tammy was filled with a small sense of pride. _She has a great future as an officer. I can just tell._ Shaking her head, she slapped the back of her paw. _Get your head right, Thompson. Thoughts like this come_ after _you save the day._ Focusing on the matter at paw, Tammy reached the end of the hood, keeping her tranq pistol down in her paw, hidden from view by the vehicle. "Ma'am? This is Officer Thompson, ZPD."

Seeing the cheetah partially concealed by the black SUV, the moose narrowed her eyes at the cat, her hoof twitching as if itching to bring the weapon to bear. "Are you here to stop me? It won't work! I'm going to find him and I'm going to kill him for it!"

Swearing under her breath, Tammy realized the situation they were in. This was more than just a disgruntled mammal or someone high on something. This was one intent on murder. _Gonna have to play this one right._ "We're just here to talk. What's your name, hon?"

Keeping her hoof steady and her digit on the trigger, the cow gave no outward sign of being nervous, only that of determination. Seemingly fighting a battle within herself, eventually responded, if not grudgingly. "Miranda."

"Nice to meet you Miranda. I'm Tammy. Now Miranda, why are you out here? You mentioned something about hurting someone? Who was that?" _Approach it carefully, Tams. Don't work her up, make her seem like you're on her side._

"My husband! He took my children from me! I can't find them anywhere!" Rage flowed from her, making Tammy and Lylah equally nervous. An upset mammal with a gun is infinitely more dangerous and a mother fixated on something in regards to her children was even more so. One of the few remaining instincts from their days long before evolution was the protection of one's offspring overriding most forms of common sense. Normally this mother wouldn't be waving a pistol around or threatening murder, but put the loss of her kids into the mix and she could easily become deranged, something they feared had happened.

"That's awful Miranda. What's your husband's name? Maybe we can find him and get your kids back for you." _When dealing with a dangerous suspect, empty promises are no longer lies when talking them down. One of the rules we learned in the Academy and one I pray works here._ "It's not right he took the kids. So why don't we work together to find them, okay? Nobody out here knows your husband. They don't need to get hurt. That'll just mean I have to call in ambulances and whatnot. It will take all day and I'm betting you want to see your kids soon, right?"

Her hoof slightly shaking now, looking around at all the mammals hiding in bushes and behind apartment steps, she seemed uncertain. ""I-I guess not. All-all I want is my kids back..." Looking at the firearm in her hoof, a look of severe distaste could be seen even from the officers position. As if it was a vial of poison that she longed to throw as far away from her as possible. It gave Tammy a renewed sense of hope that they could end this without bloodshed.

"That's great Miranda. So why don't we put the gun down and we'll go find them together." Slowly stepping out from behind the cruiser, Tammy watched carefully as the moose started to bend down in order to place the gun on the ground. She started approaching her at an even slower pace trying not to spook her. Even though it seemed as if the moose was willing to comply, Tammy had been through too many standoffs to know it could change at any moment.

Clearing the hood of the car, Tammy froze seeing Miranda stop moving. The hoof clutching the gun even tighter than before, Tammy was dismayed to see a crazed look come back over her eyes. "Miranda? Are you alright?" Her eyes flashing, she stood straight and brought the gun to bear on the cheetah. She ducked in time for the moose to miss the first shot, the bullet striking a lamp post some twenty feet behind the officer. She had not even registered the noise of the shot, nor the impact behind her. It had merely been an instinctual reaction as the barrel was turned towards her. She quickly dove back behind the hood knowing she was being targeted again. This time she heard the roar of the pistol and saw the sparks flare as the bullet struck the front of the car.

"You're working with him! You helped steal my babies! I'll kill you!" The desperation and hatred in her voice was one of a mammal consumed by madness. Tammy didn't know if she could be reached anymore. She made a decision that now it was about finding a vantage point to take her out. The dosage set in their tranqs were for for large mammals so it should be enough to take her down with one shot. Getting that shot though would not be an easy feat.

Rising up, the senior officer peered through the lowered passenger window out the driver's side. The tint should be enough to block the moose's vision while she came up with a plan. Her thought process was suddenly broken when, whether the moose had been able to see through the glass or had simply decided to target it, a round had come through the window, shattering and spilling glass all over the front seat and floor. Thought the shot was wide, Tammy ducked back down again. The gun propelled a fourth bullet, this one striking the rubber of the tire. The protective layers stopped it from deflating, but it did puncture enough to trap the bullet.

Lylah moved to get an opening only for the moose to suddenly train her sights in her direction, her next shot smashing through the rear light causing the rookie to fall backwards. "Stay down, Forrest!" Tammy using her last name made Lylah take even further caution knowing it would not be used lightly considering she rarely even used her first name at all. Gaining the best viewpoint through the rear window which was tinted enough that the moose couldn't see her, Lylah watched the moose becoming more agitated and unstable. She was now walking back and forth across the road, smacking the gun's barrel against the side of her head, muttering to herself.

"Miranda!" Tammy tried again to calm down the angry mammal but this time keeping her body low on the other side of the cruiser. "We're only here to help. Let's try this again, this time just drop the gun to the ground and you come to us, alright?" She did not have the line of sight her partner did and had not seen the change in the suspect's demeanor.

"No. No no no no. I won't lose my babies. Not again. Not again you hear me!" Lylah, who still had a viewpoint of the suspect watched in horror as she turned and place the gun directly on the side of her head. Grim determination had settled in her eyes and across her mouth, the thin line telling them exactly that she planned to go through with what they were seeing. Closing her eyes, her digit tightened down on the trigger.

"NO!" The gut-wrenching cry of the tigress was to no avail. Squeezing the trigger, causing the hammer to pull back and release, the moose's hoof jerked backwards at the recoil which was merely pushing on dead flesh. The flash from the barrel had been blocked by the fur surrounding the mammal's head but Lylah could almost picture it in her own. Blood had sprayed outwards over the hoof and arm, coating the fur and painting the pavement with drops scattered everywhere. The projectile cut through the soft tissue around the scalp before punching into the bone of the skull. It seemed to Lylah that the split second of a moment had taken hours until the round had pushed through the other side, spraying more blood and brain matter across the area.

Almost as if by some change in the laws of physics, her body remained standing, a look of anguish and pain frozen on her face. Then the strings of the puppet had been cut, crumpling the lifeless form to the ground. The tortured grimace on her lips now the blank stare of a corpse, her last act in her life being to end it.

Tammy who had heard the shout, turned to see her partner clap a paw to her mouth and fall, her hindquarters slamming into the pavement. Like lightning, the cheetah had moved towards the feline, collapsing beside her searching for any sort of wound that may have caused her to fall. Not seeing any, she looked to her face only to finally hear the whispers the tigress was making. "No. No, please no," all the while keeping her gaze as far from the other side of the vehicle as possible.

Looking over, Tammy had a good idea of what she was going to see though she knew it would haunt them both for quite a while. The sight of the pooling blood around the head of the moose told her exactly what had happened. The bullet had not been meant for her partner or herself, but for the grief stricken cow they had failed to convince to come with them and end it peacefully rather than with bloodshed. Cradling Lylah's head, she stroked her ears and neck. "It's okay, my Pretty Kitty. It's okay. We're both safe. It will be alright." Looking into her once vibrant eyes, she could tell her girlfriend did not believe her. The light had gone out in them though Tammy knew it was only temporary. _It comes with the job, Pretty Kitty. You'll understand eventually._ _Though I wish you would have never needed to._

* * *

Huddled in the back of an ambulance and covered with a blanket, the tigress officer shook uncontrollably. Eyeing her with concern, her partner moved towards one of the EMT's assigned to the scene. There had been almost no injuries and those mammals that were, thankfully, had not been caused by the gunfire. They had been mainly caused by fleeing mammals getting knocked down by others in their panic.

Subtly gesturing towards the ambulance, Tammy kept her voice lowered. "How is she?" Turning his gaze from the jaguar he was currently bandaging up, the rabbit EMT eyed the tigress.

"She's in shock. First time?" Tammy nodded. "Yeah, that will do it. She'll be fine after a while but she's been pretty unresponsive. I'd recommend getting her home to wait it out, though I wouldn't leave her alone." Fixing the rabbit with a soft gaze, she made sure to focus on every word the lapin had to say, knowing she would need that knowledge to help her get through her pain.

"No problem there, she's my... roommate." Sensing the small hesitation on the feline's voice, the rabbit simply gave her a small glance, understanding the unspoken words. Rather than wanting to raise an objection, it actually made the EMT feel more secure in releasing his charge to the cheetah. Having a loving environment was the only thing better that he could think of than a partner and roommate being there for her.

Nodding, the rabbit continued. "Make sure she gets plenty of attention. Being alone with her thoughts isn't exactly the best option right now. I've seen more of these cases than I'd like and you cops are no different. Especially not the first time. I'd recommend counseling but your chief will probably make that mandatory anyway." Placing his paw on hers, he looked at her with a very serious look on his face. "I'm sure she's strong and judging by your handling of the whole situation this isn't your first one, but you need to be just as strong. She's going to need you far more than realizes."

Lylah thanked him and left him to his work. Heading over and sitting beside the big cat, Tammy wrapped her arm around her and hauled her in tight to her side. Running her paw up and down her arm, Tammy leaned in and gave her a kiss on her forehead. Lylah leaned down and pushed her head into the cheetah's neck, nuzzling it affectionately. Her partner could also feel the desperate need for comfort from the small mammal, something she was more than happy to give.

Licking the feline between her ears, Tammy gave her a short grooming bathe, one that her mother always gave her to help her through some difficult times. It had the desired effect making the tigress calm down after a few minutes. She continued to bathe her, making sure to get her ears and cheeks. It was an intimate act, one that she would normally only do in the comfort of their home, but it was something her Kitty needed. Thankfully, the EMT's on site and also their backup officers knew the importance and let them be. Eventually Tammy admitted there wasn't much more she could do for her for the time being. "C'mon Kitty. We'll head back to the precinct and then go home." Hauling up the much heavier mammal was something of a challenge for her but thankfully enough of Lylah was on the surface that she stood to help her before they walked back to the cruiser, a spotted arm laying across a striped one.

Stopped just shy of the doors, a bull moose stepped up, slightly blocking their path though it did not seem to be intentional. "Officer Thompson? I was told by your colleagues I could find you over here. I just want to tell you how sorry I am. To you and your partner." Eyeing him, she could tell he was extremely sincere though she wasn't sure why.

"Umm, thank you sir. I'm not sure what you are apologizing for though." A pained look coming across his face had Tammy suddenly suspicious of the circumstances of why the moose was here though she did not want to spout it out if she was wrong.

"Well...Miranda she is... _was_ my wife. I'm sorry for any danger she may have presented to the citizens of Zootopia and any pain she may may have caused you." A sudden urge to lash out in the defense of her Kitty swept over her though she managed to suppress it. Though part of her really wanted to forget her self control, even for a short while. Narrowing her eyes in remembrance of what the cow had said, she glared at him warily.

"Miranda said you stole her children. That she was looking for you to kill you. Any idea why she would say that? Did you take the children?" Sadness filled the bull's eyes, tears welling up from the bottom.

"My wife was a very... _confused_...mammal. She had been hospitalized for several years and had finally been released into my care about six months ago. She stopped taking her medication for the last few weeks without my knowledge. I only found the pills today. When I brought it to her attention, she knocked me out with the gun." Tipping forward, he showed her the bandaged gash to the back of his head." I don't know where she got it from. I don't allow them in the house. When I came to, she was gone and I heard the report on the news." Glancing over to the white sheet covering the body in the road, he grew quiet. Taking a few seconds to compose himself he turned back to the officer, his voice shaky. "Our two children died in childbirth, officer. It was many years ago. It's why my wife needed to be hospitalized. I'm very sorry for what happened here today but I'm grateful no one was shot." _Except for your wife._ Tammy immediately felt horrid for having that thought and she sought to end the conversation quickly. Assuring the husband that no one had been gravely injured, she let him go back to his mourning as she continued taking Lylah to the car.

The silence in the cruiser was deafening to the cheetah. She had grown accustomed to hearing her girlfriend's lovely voice teasing her or discussing wild theories or just completely random talk that she could listen to for hours. Instead she was treated to a shell of a mammal who did not speak, though whether it was by choice or out of her control Tammy didn't know, nor did it overly matter. Knowing how difficult an experience like this can be, Tammy made sure to keep a careful eye on her tigress. It was not uncommon for officers who have seen instances like that to slip into depression. The only sign that Lylah gave that she was alright was when Tammy reached over and put her paw on her shoulder. The soft contact helped to center the feline, not letting her slip further away than she already was. A soft nuzzle of her outstretched paw felt like heaven to the cheetah who had been growing more concerned with each passing moment. But now she had a feeling her partner would get through it alright.

Reaching the precinct, the two cats left the vehicle, though one of them far slower and more reluctant than the other, and entered the building. The smaller one was subdued, her cheerful demeanor diminished. The larger striped female was much more somber, barely glancing at anyone she passed. Lightly putting pressure on her girlfriend's arm, Tammy led her to their office. Lylah had not been given a desk yet so she tended to occupy Wolford's when he wasn't there, keeping in close proximity to her cheetah. Setting her down, Tammy looked into her eyes, searching for the spark of life she had come to love seeing in her bright amber orbs. "I'm gonna go speak to Bogo, okay Kitty? We'll most likely be sent home so I'll come to collect you. Alright?"

With no response being given nor any sign she had even been heard, Tammy let out a small sigh and turned to leave. Feeling a large paw grab her own, she stopped and turned back following the striped arm to it's owner. "Thank you, Flower." The words hit Tammy hard. For such a long time she had not said a word but here she was, opening back up to her. It made her heart soar with relief that maybe everything will be okay.

"Anything for you, my precious Kitty." Holding her paw tight, she bent down and nuzzled it before pressing her lips to her fur. "I'll be right back." Regretfully letting the paw fall and seeing the dullness return to her eyes, Tammy hurried into the main lobby and to the flight of stairs to the left. Skipping as many as she could, she reached the Chief's door fast enough that even she was slightly winded.

Raising her paw, she let it fall three times before a voice came from inside. "Enter." Turning the knob and swinging the door open, Tammy stepped through quickly before shutting it behind her. Anytime she had ever entered Bogo's office, he had been reviewing a case file or something along the equivalent. Always preferring to make them wait until acknowledging them. However, when it came to the well being of his officers, the Chief was above and beyond the most protective out of any of his assistant chiefs throughout the city. Calmly gesturing to the chair in front, his voice softened. "Sit." Tammy gratefully took a seat, her legs already threatening to give out on her. "So it looks like there were some problems out there today."

"Yes sir." Suddenly nervous at the thoughts going through her mind, Tammy swallowed hard before addressing the buffalo. "Umm, if I may sir? I'd like to this taken care of as quickly as possible. I need to get my partner home." Bogo's face, which had been been soft, frowned further with sympathy.

"How is she?" It was a rhetorical question but one that everyone ended up asking anyway. Very few mammals could experience a suicide in front of them, especially one as graphic as a gun, and not feel bothered, sometimes downright distraught. For a rookie it was probably even worse, having had no experience that could desensitize them to the experience. There had been three other rookies in Bogo's career as Chief that had seen such a case. One of them had stayed a cop, eventually having a satisfactory career. One of them had quit and never touched another job as a first responder, having seen enough death to last them a lifetime. The third had needed to be institutionalized after having slipped into a severe depression, almost ending their own life in an attempt to escape it.

Tammy bowed her head, trying to shake away the look of the defeated mammal she had seen in the ambulance. "She's in shock, sir. Weren't you at your first time? I know I was."

The Chief sympathized with her. He had seen far too many in his years. One of the few benefits of being the Chief was no longer needing to always attend to certain cases like that, though he hated feeling that way. The idea of his officers having to view horrific acts because he couldn't take it upon himself because of what his job demanded always left him with a bitter taste in his mouth. "How long ago?"

"...Two years sir. Drug dealer who didn't want to go back to prison. Killed a young antelope girl before turning it on himself." A vacant look came into her eye, remembering the day that almost made her turn in her badge. "The girl had nothing to do with him or anything else for that matter. It was just senseless."

"Most crime is, Thompson. Go. Take your partner home. I'm giving you both the next three days off. I want to see you both Monday morning and you both will be talking to the precinct therapist. Dismissed." Giving him a crisp salute, Tammy turned and headed from the office. Trying not to fall down the stairs with how tired she suddenly had become took a lot of effort. Thinking back to the first suicide she had seen had her nerves rattled, much worse than the one this afternoon. She was not stronger than Lylah. Far from it in fact. The tigress was doing much better than Tammy had done her first time.

Stopping at her office, she was a little worried to find it empty. A piece of scrap paper sitting on the desk caught her eye and she read it quickly. _'Flower. Went home. Love, Your Kitty.'_ Pressing it to her chest, Tammy hurried from the building, pausing only to let the traffic slow in front of her just long enough for her to dash across. There were a few horns honked her way but she barely heard them. Her only thought was to get home as fast as possible.

Though the trolley would certainly have been easier, it was not nearly fast enough for Tammy. Letting her inner cheetah loose, she sprinted down the sidewalk, blowing past any mammal in her way. Newspapers at the stands lining the path fluttered at her passing. In the thousands of years that mammal kind had been evolving, the cheetah had retained the top spot as fastest mammal alive and today was when she was thankful for that.

Reaching the apartment, she blew through the doors and started racing up the steps. Halfway to her floor, she began to feel the adrenaline leaving her, a sure sign she had overextended herself. Fast she may be, but her endurance, like the rest of her species, had always been lacking. A trade-off for their enhanced speed. Pushing through with sheer determination, Tammy reached the floor, though slower than she had ascended the rest of them. Turning left, she grabbed the wall to keep herself from stumbling. Her vision had become a little hazy but she knew a bit of rest and she would be right as rain again.

Halfway down the hall, her apartment door sat on the right. Reaching for the doorknob, she immediately chastised herself remembering that Lylah was obsessed with keeping the door locked. With it suddenly turning in her paw, Tammy immediately cut her thoughts and began to worry. _It should not have turned. Oh Kitty._ Pushing through, she could see no sign of her tigress's entrance. No strewn clothes, no unpinned badge, no open bottles of water on the counter. The only thing that alerted her that anyone was in the home was the vague sound of running water coming from the bathroom. The patter of droplets spraying from the shower head.

At first she didn't see anyone in the enclosure, but the tip of something orange made her pause and backtrack towards the shower door. Seeing her Kitty slumped on the floor, still dressed in her uniform and sitting under the hot spray of the shower had her heart breaking. Entering herself, she took a seat next to her, not bothering to remove her own clothes either.

Wrapping her arm around the tigress, she dragged her closer, letting the poor feline curl up against her side. After a few minutes of the contact, Lylah moved her body to the side and lay down, her head now in Tammy's lap. She smiled softly at her Kitty, stroking the wet fur slowly as she hummed an old song she remembered from her childhood but could no longer picture the words. It seemed to help as the ragged breaths coming from the larger mammal had calmed somewhat. They stayed there for quite some time, only deciding to leave once the hot water had vanished and the cold threatened to freeze them.

Tammy led her from the bathroom, grabbing two large towels along the way. Rather than separating halfway down the hall, Tammy brought them both to her room. Starting to strip out of her own uniform, Tammy suddenly paused. Was this really the way she wanted Lylah to see her naked for the first time? Struggling, she finally told herself that this was an intimate time as any and there was nothing sexual that either of them would link to that moment. Dropping the uniform piece by piece, Lylah eventually stood in he soaked underwear. Hooking her thumbs on the sides, she took a deep breath and slid them down her toned legs. She wasn't able to look in the direction of the tigress, embarrassment ruling over her. She quickly toweled off, grabbing the first pair of panties and t-shirt she found. Turning towards the tigress who was still in her sopping wet clothing, Tammy decided she should go grab something for Lylah to sleep in. "I'll be right back, Kitty. If you want you can dry off or I can help you when I get back."

Finding anything in Lylah's room was a miracle. The tigress was not exactly what she would call 'neat.' Luckily it wasn't necessary to go hunting as she kept her sleeping jersey always on top of the piles ready to be used again. Grabbing it, she looked for a pair of underwear but that's where her luck ended. There was no organization to her laundry. Thinking she had been gone too long as it was, she would have to hope Lylah would be okay with just the jersey.

Rounding the corner back into her room, Tammy was stunned into silence. Her partner was standing without a stitch of her soaked uniform left on her body. She couldn't stop herself from pausing to take in the sight of her wet fur, the striped pattern tantalizing to her eyes. _Beautiful._ She knew it was inappropriate to be thinking such thoughts after the day that had just occurred but she couldn't help it.

Picking up the second towel, she moved to stand next to her tigress. Seeing the cold eyes looking down at her but seemingly not recognizing her had her scared. Slowly, she dried Lylah off, taking care to not give in to her own desires that being so close was causing. She focused on anything but the feel of her muscles beneath her paws. The thick tuft of fur running down her taut stomach. The smell of her sex as she bent down to rub the towel over her legs. It was so difficult for her to resist and if it had been any other day, she would not have. But it was her tigress. Her Lylah. Her Kitty that needed her comfort and support and she would never do anything to betray that. Slipping the jersey over the tigress's head, she pulled it down to cover her as much as possible, thankful it was a much larger size.

Leading her onto the bed, Tammy instructed her to lay down before she climbed in next to her and wrapped around her body, clutching her head to her chest. "I love you, my Pretty Kitty."

"I love you too, Flower."


	26. Chapter 30 - Back to Bunnyburrow Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is part 1 of a 4-part Bunnyburrow trip. Enjoy the ride!
> 
> WARNING! There will be an explicit scene at the end of the chapter. Very explicit with naughty language and everything. I'm changing up some of the wording I use to make it more of an intense experience. Been rather tame for 230 THOUSAND words. Marked *Explicit*. It runs to to the end of the chapter so you can just skip the rest.
> 
> Disclaimer: Well this is a pickle. I had to sneak into Disney studios by walking through the back woods because security got my picture. Damn. Oh well. At least it's pre-... wait... Is that a deer with a GUN?
> 
> "Hello. My name is Bambi Montoya. You killed my mother. Prepare to die."
> 
> ...Fuck.

"Reason number twenty-six for why the suspension is a good thing; we get to go to Bunnyburrow for the festival a day early." Making an invisible check mark on his pretend clipboard, Nick resumed his pacing around the bedroom while his mate dug through the bottom of the closet looking for their suitcases.

"How many times have I asked you to stop doing that? I don't need reasons why the suspension is a good thing. it's not and you know it and no matter how many reasons you come up with will change that. Ahh!" A cascade of boxes from the shelf above her had Judy throwing her paws up over her head to avoid being crushed. Piles of papers fell around her, spilling from the overstuffed cardboard. "Of all the stupid things to be buried alive in," came the disgruntled muttering of a very annoyed bunny. "Nick! Get your fluffy tail over here and get me out of this.

Moving over to where Judy was searching through the closet had Nick practically in stitches. It was enough to put him on his knees in laughter which did nothing to help with the bunny's mood. "Nick! Get me out now!"

"Hold on, Carrots. One sec." Pulling out his phone, he snapped a few quick pictures of the position she had gotten herself in for memories and potential blackmail purposes. "Alright, coming." Moving up behind her, he grasped the waist of her jeans and pulled her up to him. "Hmm. This would make for a fun time later." Lifting her hips and moving them against his own, he playfully messed with her before getting a better hold. Judy meanwhile had a sudden surge of arousal that almost made her wish he had left her there and simply had his way with her. "Okay, one, two, three!" A strong pull dragged her from the pile, scattering papers and memos everywhere.

Climbing to her feet a little unsteady after being trapped on her knees and tormented by her mate, Judy picked a few shredded pieces of what looked like a document from between her ears. "Nick, what is all this?" Scanning the floor, she could see hundreds of papers, all arranged in color coded stacks. There were also several plastic bags filled with shredded papers like the ones she just had a hold of.

"Hmm? Oh those. Those would be the documents to my company." If there was anything Judy had been expecting him to say it certainly wasn't that. The fact that he was so nonchalant about it while he folded another shirt before adding it to the pile on the bed was even more astonishing. Judy could only manage to stutter before closing her mouth and collecting her thoughts.

"Your _company_? What do you mean your company? You have a company?" Chuckling the vulpine gave her an amused glance.

"Keep saying 'company', Carrots while clicking your heels. Let's see what happens." A sudden onslaught of heat told the bunny her ears were now burning, yet her curiosity would not be denied. Leaping onto the bed, she crossed her legs and looked at him expectantly. Seeing the way her elbows were propped on her knees and her chin in her paws had Nick sighing. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" With a shake of her head and smile on her face, Judy continued to gaze at him. "Alright, alright. I'll tell ya." Taking a seat behind her, he scooped her into his lap and laid back so she was laying on his chest. "About two years ago, during one of my breaks from the pawpsickle deal, I came up with an idea that I thought could make me wealthy beyond belief. It was going to be so grand that I would never need to work a day in my life ever again."

Judy was entranced by her mate's enthusiasm. He seemed to reminisce about his idea with great passion. "What was it?" she breathed, desperate to know what his invention must have been if he had been that passionate about it.

He waived his paw mysteriously. "A car refrigerator."

"A car-...wait what?"

"A car refrigerator! Think of it! You're driving through Sahara Square. Sun is high, it's hot, you're starting to sweat through your shirt. Instead of having to taste that luke warm water you bought back in Downtown, you can just open up the small refrigerator built into the center console! Lunch? Sandwiches, still chilled! No nasty old mayo there. You could even have a freezer for pawpsickles." The excitement in his voice had her captivated with each word. "It was going to be incredible. I had the designs, I handled all the paperwork, even got the company legalized. I invested a ton of savings to get it started but I knew, just _knew_ it was all going to work out."

Knowing where the story was headed as his voice got sadder and quieter, she didn't want to ask, but felt she needed to. To let him have the closure. "And what happened, Nick?"

He turned his head, pointing his muzzle down and away, a sign of embarrassment and sadness for him she had learned, adjusting his face out of focus so as to hide his emotions. "The other investors turned me down. Walked right out of the room without so much as a 'goodbye' or 'thank you for coming' or anything. They simply sneered at me, called me a sneak. Said I must have stolen the idea from someone else because 'foxes don't create things, they just steal them.'" Clutching his bunny a little tighter, he rooted his nose in her fur. "I was devastated."

"I can see why. That was horrible of them. It sounds like a really good idea too. Do you think anyone might be interested now?" Nick's breath caught in his throat at his mate's words. Though she could not see it, his face was twisted in a mask of disbelief and confusion.

"You-you actually _like_ it?" He had constantly been afraid to admit anything about his attempt to start the company or the product he had come up with for fear it had been a ridiculous concept and that he would be laughed at for it. For Judy to say that she liked it lifted his spirits. _How do you always do this to me? Find something I am afraid of about myself and make it into something I can be proud of. What did I ever do to deserve someone as precious as you?_

"Of course. I wouldn't mind one in the cruiser actually. It would beat having to throw out those iced coffees every twenty minutes that we get stuck outside the cruiser. Think of the money I could save if that existed. Plus wouldn't it be great to have it on the trip to Bunnyburrow today? Rather than hauling around a giant cooler and having to stop and get it out of the trunk every time you wanted a bottle of water, you could just reach in and snag one at your side or your feet!" Getting into the idea herself had Judy getting excited at the possibilities. "Oh Nick, you should totally try to do this again someday. It sounds incredible."

Emboldened by her confidence in him, Nick had to hide a tear leaking from his left eye. "Maybe I will, Fluff. For now, I'll pick up the papers and you grab the luggage and start packing. We don't want to be late getting Finnick. He's so annoying to listen to about it. And he won't shut up about it all the way there! Four hours. I guarantee you we would be stuck listening to him moan about us being twenty seconds late for the full four hours."

"Alright, alright, you made your point," she said laughing. Pushing him off of her, she scrambled off the bed avoiding the stacks of clothes before picking her way over the papers. Nick followed behind and started re-stacking the documents, filing them in the proper boxes as he went. Gazing fondly at the diagram of his idea, Nick gently put it in the pile before continuing. _Maybe she's right. Maybe I can make it work this time. And if not, I can always arrest them for being speciest._ A toothy grin coming over him at that last bit, he moved around suddenly much happier.

Judy meanwhile had managed to grab their two bags and haul them from the mess that was the bottom of their closet. Why they had so much junk in there she would never know, but it was unfortunately their reality. "Toss me a couple of my shirts. The-"

"-plaid ones you normally wear around the farm that I love seeing you in?" Nick was giving her a smirk around a small pile of her favorite shirts, a couple pairs of jeans and leggings, as well as a pair of torn jean shorts that she knew he had picked out solely for himself. He always commented on how it complimented her ass and she made sure to use that to her advantage when convincing him to do things around the apartment.

"Those will do just fine. Make sure you grab yourself some clothes an-oh no you don't!" Snatching some pale green shirts and short khaki pants from the fox's arms, Judy quickly shut them away back in the drawers. "You're not bringing those on the trip. Maybe here when you're visiting some of your old haunts or friends you can be 'Slick Nick' but this weekend you're _my_ fox and _my_ fox has a little bit of taste." Snagging a few pairs of dark jeans, a couple of black t-shirts and a long sleeve dark green button up, Judy tossed them in the suitcase and zipped it tight. "And no changing them!"

His jaw still hanging at the forcefulness of his mate, Nick could only stare as she had changed his entire weekend wardrobe in about five seconds. "Carrots, you can't just do that. I had plans for those clothes." A fast paced thumping from behind him had his head hanging. "I'm stuck with them, aren't I?"

"Are you going to be wearing the clothes I picked out for you instead of the ones that remind both of us of your past life, one that you left behind so many months ago? Yes. Yes you are." Sliding up beside him, she hopped up and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Don't be mad, sweetie. You weren't going to win anyway. Besides, I think you look sexy as hell in black." With his ears straightening and a smile gracing his muzzle, Judy knew she had him, though she hadn't been lying. She really did like how he looked in black.

Leaving her fox to strut around the room, his ego stroked for the moment, she headed towards the kitchen to grab a few drinks and snacks for the road. A few granola bars along with half a dozen cricket bars and a bag of baby carrots made it into the grab bag, as well as half a dozen bottles of water. She wasn't sure if it would be enough for the full trip but luckily they could always stop if they needed to.

"Morning Judy." Looking up, the gray doe's violet eyes met the piercing blue ones of their roommate. Trisha had been late to rise that morning as per her usual, though it was to be expected after working nights at the 10-7 cop bar. "Where you off to? Looks like you're packing up for a long trip."

"Oh we're just going to Bunnyburrow for the weekend. It's the Winter Harvest festival and I wanted to bring Nick along. The last time he was there there wasn't a lot for him to do. Although he did end up starring in a band which was certainly interesting. Come to think of it, he still owes me an explanation on how he learned to play the drums." She cocked her head while she pondered before shrugging. "Anyway, we have to pick up Nick's friend Finnick before heading down. He's dating my sister Jessica and we promised we'd bring him with."

"Oh, so you're headed home?" Judy, who had needed a drink of water after talking so long without breathing, nodded from behind the bottle. "Sounds like fun. Whole family gonna be at this...what did you say it was?"

"Winter Harvest festival. And yeah, most of us will. There are a good amount of my siblings who have their own families now but they will most likely be there. And the ones at college will be home as it's winter break. The burrow will be jam packed with noise and kits and chaos."

"So I'll have the place to myself? Well, at least I can treat my fur and take a nap without having to worry about peeping todds, huh?" The last was said with a wink reminding Judy of the embarrassing moment from the other morning where they had walked in after being suspended for two weeks only to find Trisha sprawled out on the couch naked.

"Yep, you'll get to prance around naked all you like." Noting the tiny bit of sadness in her friend's voice made Judy pause. Her cop instincts were going haywire as she scanned the doe's face, noting the slight strain of her smile. How the expression of happiness did not quite reach her eyes. It was then Judy was reminded that Trisha had grown up with very few siblings and had no real familial connections and how hearing about how Judy would soon be reunited with a few hundred siblings had left her rather envious. The thought of missing out on something so important in her own life had Judy reeling from just an imagined scenario. Trisha had dealt with the reality of that for her entire life. It upset her greatly. "Unless you maybe would like to come with us?"

Judy had been expecting a cool and laid back response, or maybe something snarky. Even a look of surprise wouldn't have been out of the ordinary. What she had not expected was the tears suddenly welling up in the bright blue eyes. "C-...Can I?" If the look of overwhelming hope hadn't convinced Judy, the shaky desperation in her voice would have. She suddenly understood how important this would be to the doe who had never experienced the normal growing up that a bunny was used to. City bunnies were expected to have small litters. It was understandable. But to be an isolated gender and not have a school experience to take it's place would have been difficult for any rabbit to live through and the opportunity being dangled in front of Trisha right now must have been a carrot made from diamonds.

"Of course you can, hon. The more the merrier in our burrow. We have tons of guest rooms." The breath was knocked from her at the impact from the other rabbit hitting her in the chest. Strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her feet off the ground as a pair of unseen feet danced around beneath them.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you, Judy! You don't know how much this means to me. I've gotta go pack! I nee-, wait! I don't have a suitcase!" Judy snickered at her friend's panicked expression before heading back into her and Nick's bedroom and grabbed a spare bag for her to use. "Thanks! Okay, I need clothes. Charger. Makeup? Well, could meet someone I guess. Definitely need this. Oh and my book! That's taken me three months to read halfway...Eh, I'll read it on the way down."

Leaving the excited doe to herself, Judy headed back with the food bag to their bedroom and packed it away. "We've got a fourth for the trip."

"Seriously?" Entering back into the bedroom with their toothbrushes in paw, Nick slid them into the suitcase before closing it up and scanning the room for anything else they may need. "Are we just taking her everywhere now?"

"Nick, she is my friend, she's a good mammal, and I know you like her." She was not fooled by the over dramatic huff from her fox, knowing she had him. "Besides, she really needs this, sweetie. She had it rough growing up. This is one way for her to get some of that missing piece back. And do you _really_ want her left in our apartment alone for three days?"

At the thought of a naked bunny smearing take-out food over the furniture and draining the liquor from his cabinets, he shuddered in horror. "The more the merrier."

* * *

"Yo. You're late." The deep sounding voice from the small fox had Trisha doing a double take. She had met a few fennec foxes, especially around where she had lived, but none of them had a commanding sound such as the tough looking mammal in front of her. Noticing the stare she was giving him, Finnick rapped the car door. "The hell you lookin' at, long ear?"

"A crazy ass fox that drank too much coffee as a kit and is now stuck forever in the body of a four year old." Nick and Judy looked at each other, each grimacing at the storm they could sense brewing. The silence from the fennec was telling to the red vulpine who had experienced Finnick's rage in the past.

Turning to Judy, Finnick locked eyes on her. "This another sister of yours, bunny cop?" Expecting a much harsher tone from him, Judy sat slightly stunned at the perfectly calm question. Nick also looked taken aback, not ever having seen his friend so cool headed after being insulted.

"No. This is my friend Trisha. She works over at the cop bar, the 10-7." The small fox stared hard at the brown bunny who was becoming increasingly nervous under his harsh gaze. For several seconds no one moved, Nick not even daring to breathe, in case something set him off. They weren't worried about violence, but they did know he had an explosive temper, one where he would start flinging insults designed to hurt and would eventually cancel his own passage on the trip. That was something Judy really did not want to see as she knew Jessica was very excited to see him again and had been bugging her all week with questions about their trip.

"Good. I can't deal with being stuck next to another Hopps girl for four hours." Looking back at Judy, he raised a brow. "Your family is nuts if you and Cottontail are anything to go by. Now move over, barkeep. This fox is tired and wants to get on the road now." Amused, Trisha moved to the side to sit behind Judy in the driver's seat. Finnick threw his pack in the trunk and hopped into the vehicle. "Hey Nick. Why aren't we riding in the Boss? Why are stuck in this tiny thing that looks like a blueberry?"

Judy groaned and plopped her head onto the steering wheel while Nick pumped his fists in the air. "I told you, I told you, I told you, told you, told you!" Turning his attention back to his friend, he looked at him through the visor mirror. "This is actually Judy's car, The Blueberry. As for why we aren't driving in my baby, the gas mileage sucks and the potholes getting into that town are a nightmare. I don't need the bill for the repair work to the suspension and the rims. Besides, Judy made sure this thing would fit me when she bought it so I'm quite comfortable. And I know you two have plenty of room in the back se-"

"Hey Nick, did you remember to grab the cooler this morning?" Judy had asked the question a little hastily, her words spilling forth a little higher pitched than normal. She did not want to go into detail on exactly _how_ he knew there was more than enough space for the rabbit and small fox because she was worried they both would bail out of the trip knowing what had gone on back there. Giving her an amused glance, Nick winked making Judy aware that he knew _exactly_ why she had interrupted him. Deciding to abandon his fun, Nick assured her that he did indeed pack the cooler and it was resting in the trunk.

They had been on the road for about twenty minutes when the small talk between the two bunnies began to dry up. The two could talk for hours on end but the discussions usually drifted into more personal aspects, something they were not sure if the fennec would appreciate. The small fox had been mostly silent, either staring at his phone or gazing out the window. Silence in the car was not something Nick overly liked so he tried to bring the conversation back to life. "So Petals, how did you convince the 10-7 to give you the time off?" Judy's ear twitched at Nick's casual question, her interest also peaked. While she knew Trisha was hardly the bar's _only_ waitress, she did tend to work most shifts. Given that she had only invited the doe on the trip a couple of hours ago, she imagined Trisha must have done some sweet talking of the boss to get several days off with such short notice.

"Oh that was easy. They've been telling me to use my accrued vacation time for a long while but I always just preferred to work. Which you understand after learning where I lived." Judy nodded while Nick looked pained. Finding out their friend had been living in a drug infested hell hole was the reason why she was living with them now. "So I called them up, said I was taking a few days off, and that was that." She then glared at the red fox. "And don't call me Petals!"

The short conversation did little to break the awkwardness however so Trisha decided to try and turn it in a direction that was proven to make an awkward situation even more awkward, but in a relatively fun way for all others involved. "So emotionally and physically stunted fox, Judy over there says you're dating her sister. How'd you manage to land a Hopps gal? I've been trying for months but I could never lure her away." Winking at Judy in the mirror, she got the gray bunny to blush, both of them knowing Trisha was merely joking. She had made it quite clear that while she _was_ interested in does as well as males of varying species, she would never break apart a relationship and especially never harm the closest thing she had to a sister.

Finnick, who had raised his brow towards the brown rabbit at the jab of his physical stature, merely grunted at the question. He didn't like sharing personal details, especially one that for him was probably the most intimate one to happen to him in years. Seeing the doe trying to regain eye contact with him, he turned toward the window and stared out, seemingly content with watching the trees blur by them.

Nick and Judy exchanged glances, each of them knowing what was about to happen. If there were two mammals more stubborn than the two of them, it was Finnick and Trisha. If the doe didn't get some sort of answer, she would continue to push the fennec's buttons. If Finnick wasn't left alone, he would eventually boil over and start a big fight. "Jessica was up to see the Gazelle concert a couple weeks back."

"Nick..." The low growl coming from the back seat was telling the red fox to back off but it went unheeded.

"C'mon Fin. Gotta lessen the tension around here. Besides it's a decent story." Finnick could practically feel the smugness ooze from his ex-partner. Grunting, he continued staring outside, now consumed with feigned interest in the roadside gully. "So like I said, Jessica was there with us to see the concert and wanted to walk around the city for a bit before going back to the hotel. Well, Fin's van was in one of the alleys on our way through the streets and we ended up bumping into him. Literally. Groceries everywhere. Well, he and I exchanged greetings and apologies in the way street hustling foxes were known to do. He made some sort of comparison of Judy and her sister, _may_ have implied I was bedding both of them, and pissed Jessica right off."

Trisha, who had been looking back and forth between the two foxes trying to determine if the whole thing was real wasn't getting much. Finnick refused to look over at them and Nick's permanent smirk gave her nothing to go on. Looking to Judy, the embarrassed smile, slight wince in her eyes, and a fraction of a nod confirmed to the doe that everything the red fox had been saying had actually happened. "Wait. You insulted each other, then he insulted Judy and her sister, which made her really angry, and now they're dating? I'm more confused than a color-blind nearsighted tiger at a zebra family reunion."

Watching both the fox and rabbit cock their heads at the odd expression had Trisha chuckling. Even Finnick seemed amused by it. "Well, it's a bit more involved than that. Jessica and Fin ended up going at it, slinging insults left and right. We thought someone was going to throw a punch which would have been very difficult for two cops to ignore, especially with the relationships we had with the two. We eventually managed to drag her away and continue back to the hotel but not before they leveled daggers at each other. We dropped her off at the hotel and thought that was the end of it." He paused, a mischievous grin forming. "Until the next morning."

"What happened the next morning?" Trisha breathed. She was captivated by the story, still wondering how two mammals had gone from near blows to dating in such a short time. She had heard of two friends getting angry that resulted in a relationship but for two strangers it was extremely bizarre.

"Nick I don't think we should-" began the gray bunny.

"Oh c'mon, Carrots. It's a fun little tale, plus it satisfies your friend's curiosity which will end the badgering questions towards Fin. I hope. Besides, I haven't heard a peep from him so either he doesn't care or he's okay with me saying it." Glancing in the mirror, Judy could barely see the fennec but from what she did see gave her the impression that Nick was right. His relaxed expression told her he really didn't care about the outcome of the story now that Nick had gotten that far. Meeting her mate's gaze, his eyes asking for permission to continue, she shrugged and turned back towards the road. With a grin, Nick faced the brown doe. "Well, we were on our way to the precinct when we spotted Jessica walking back to the hotel and having a hard time of it. Clutching her stomach, paw braced on the wall. We asked her what was wrong and she told us she had gone out that night to pick a fight with Fin and that he was worse off than she was. I left Carrots to tend to her sister while I hightailed it to the van. Imagine my surprise when I flung open the doors and saw, not a bleeding or bruised fox, but a naked and exhausted tiny fennec."

Trisha slapped a paw over her mouth as she realized what had happened between the two mammals. "Oh no. They didn't!"

"Oh yes they did! The smell of rabbit, fox, and _sex_ was overwhelming. And I have enough personal experience with that to know." A slight elbow into his mate had the gray ears in the driver's seat turn nearly red. "Apparently they had been going at it for six hours before Jessica decided she was done with the poor mammal and left him to recuperate."

"Six _hours?_ Lucky girl. The most I can get out of a male has been about two. Maybe three tops. Does do better but six hours...Wow." Judy wasn't sure, but she thought she had noticed a small look of pride wash over the fennec's face and his eyes flick towards the front before fading back into a calm expression.

"Poor fool got chinned." This time it was two paws covering Trisha's mouth. "Yeah. Hopps girls work fast. Six hours of knowing a mammal and they're already dating."

"Yeah, but it was six hours of bunny sex."

"Hmm. Good point."

* * *

The rest of the trip was mostly uneventful. The two cops and the waitress at the 10-7 compared some recent stories they had all overheard. Trisha had a lot more material having heard tales from the firefighters as well as the EMTs where Nick and Judy only had police cases they could recount. Fin oddly enough dropped in a few notes during the exchanges, his knowledge of the cases in question being rather extensive.

After a time, the route became less stable and turned into rougher dirt roads. Judy began pointing out a few landmarks to her fox and her rabbit friend, not bothering to include Finnick. She knew that if he was interested he would look on his own and that calling attention to him would only irritate him as he would feel pressured to include himself. She didn't know the fennec as much as she'd like to, but she knew enough about him that he didn't like group settings much which will make their eventual arrival to the farm an interesting one. Reaching the town line, the gray doe and red fox had a good laugh at the expense of their friends when they saw the 'Welcome to Bunnyburrow' sign. They knew the rotating numbers were fake, but they had neglected to inform the other two mammals on purpose, enjoying the wide-eyed shock on their faces.

"How in the hell..." The look of fear from Finnick was just too hilarious for Nick to contain and he burst out laughing. "I don't see what's so funny, Nick. We're gonna be crushed by all those damn bunnies! I don't care how skittish they may be, two foxes versus millions of rabbits ain't gonna turn out good for us."

"It's fake, Finnick."

The small fox blinked once. Then twice. "What d'ya mean 'fake'?"

"I mean it's fake. The number thing is just a joke done by the town committee." Stopping at the light near the train station, Judy waited for several sheep to pass before continuing on. "There aren't nearly that many rabbits in the whole Tri-Burrows, let alone Bunnyburrow. We have _maybe_ fifty thousand here. And Bunnyburrow is roughly the size of the Rainforest District so the numbers are about the same. Difference is it's mostly just bunnies."

Finnick crossed his arms. "That's still a lot of damn bunnies," he said sullenly. Judy simply smiled and shook her head. Trisha seemed a little bothered by his attitude but seeing Judy take it in stride told her that the fennec was probably an acquired taste. One that would eventually grow on her though she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

It took another ten minutes to reach the burrows from the center of town but the time passed quickly. Trisha, who had never lived in the country, found the view breathtaking. The rolling hills and crop fields being mesmerizing to the doe. She had never glimpsed a setting quite like it where you could see for what seemed like miles before the horizon began. In Downtown you were lucky to see fifty feet before running into a building. She supposed Meadowlands might look a lot like it based on the name, but she had never done much exploring of the rest of the city.

Finnick, who _had_ done his fair share of exploring the rest of the city, usually for a con of some sort, found the view interesting but not overwhelming like his travel companion beside him. He did have to admit that the wide open areas did seem more freeing though he still preferred the crowded city simply for it's adopted charm.

Judy and Nick were both ecstatic to be back. For Judy it was a home that she had left behind but would always be able to trace her roots back to. Her family and parents always waiting for her to return, though thankfully they had accepted those returns would be in the form of vacations and they had long since given up on trying to force her to give up her job.

Nick meanwhile had found a family here. What he had lost piece by piece had been returned, though in different form, all at once. Finnick was like a brother to him, but could never take the place of his parents. And while Bonnie and Stu could never replace his parents either, they did their best to come as close to it as possible.

With a rumble, Judy's blue car pulled into a much rougher driveway, the dirt overgrown with grass and weeds. Large tire treads from the tractors had carved miniature ditches through the ground, making the four door vehicle bounce coming into the yard. Having driven over a couple of times on their last visit, Nick knew what to expect but had failed to mention it to their two other passengers. Finnick was left cursing after slamming his shoulder into the door while Trisha had tiny birds fluttering overhead after bumping it into the ceiling. Judy let out multiple apologies, feeling guilty for not warning them about the bumps only to pause and glare at Nick when he mentioned that they should have been wearing their seat belts.

Trisha was a little slow getting out, her head still a bit fuzzy though not seriously injured. Finnick had practically leapt for the door before the car was even in park. He wanted to get as far away from the infernal machine as possible. He really wished he could have brought his van but without having the funds to get it inspected, he knew it was a risky move to drive that far praying the entire time that no cop would pull him over.

The sound of their arrival did not go unnoticed by the occupants of the house, dozens of bunnies pouring from the doors followed closely by a mature doe with a cooking apron on and a tomato sauce covered wooden spoon in paw. "JUDY!"

The collective yell had both the rabbits and the fennec's ears burning with mild pain. Trisha and Finnick both watched in horror as a swarm of fluff charged the now smiling doe. Their fears turned to confusion and then amusement as the gray bunny was lifted by her younger siblings, all clamoring to be one of the ones to drag her into the house. Nick looked a little concerned which was understandable given the last time she had been swarmed by her brothers and sisters, but it appeared his mark was more than strong enough to push through the collective bunny smell now surrounding his mate.

Slamming the door shut, Nick started to make his move towards the house, chuckling at the situation Judy had fallen into. Unfortunately for him, the bunnies had not yet left the yard and they turned as one, a giant crowd of long ears and cotton tails. He felt dozens of eyes locking onto his, red fur and puffy tail. Freezing in his tracks, the vulpine eyed the crowd carefully, waiting to see what was going to happen in case he had to turn tail and flee. "UNCLE NICK!"

The surge of young rabbits was the signal for him to try and escape and he did so in very awkward fashion. Nearly tripping in his haste to scurry, Nick managed to pull ahead of the pack by jumping around the car only to be hit by the flanking group who anticipated his move. Latching his claws into the soil offered little protection as he found himself now being lifted and carried towards the burrow just as his mate had been. Giving up, Nick let out a dramatic cry. "Oh heavens! I've been captured by a horde of angry bunnies! What are they going to do with me?" He flung his paw over his forehead, pretending to faint into their arms.

"EAT HIM!"

His act suddenly turned into a very confused and scared reality. "Wait what?!" The group dragging him inside laughed evilly leaving many of their siblings outside keeping an eye on the two newest companions. The other rabbit had been laughing wholeheartedly at seeing the display of her friends being carted off. The small fox was more reserved but still let out hearty chuckle. That is, until they caught the attention of the remaining soldiers in the Kerfluffle army.

"Who is the new fox?"  
"Forget the fox, where did sis find another bunny?"  
"Are there bunnies in Zootopia too?"  
"You doofus, there's bunnies everywhere."  
"Should we capture them?"

Hearing that last part, Trisha took off running, attempting to escape the mighty Kerfluffle only to fall victim much as Nick had before. Finnick was faring better for the most part. His small stature may have given the kits the impression he was a young fox and thus more easily captured, however the loud and deep voice when he yelled at them to back off made them more nervous. That however was only lasting so long. Their strength lay in their numbers and they moved to surround the fox. Just as they reached for him, a voice rang out behind the pack.

"Hey you all! Get away from my fox!" Just slightly taller than most of the young bunnies, Finnick did not have a very good view of who had been talking, but he certainly recognized that voice. It was one he heard every day on his computer and echoed through the night in his thoughts. Cowed by their older sister, the Kerfluffle parted to let Jessica pass through to the center where the fennec stood. "Hey Teddy Bear! I'm so glad you could come." She leaned down to give him a hug.

Finnick was a little embarrassed that he was being hugged intimately by a mammal twice his height. He had dated vixens in the past and they were much taller than the gray bunny in front of him, but seeing how it was she was also a small mammal and still towered over him it hurt his ego a little bit. "Hey Cottontail. Wouldn't have missed it."

"C'mon, let's head inside. We'll drop off the bags at everyone's rooms and we'll see what's cooking for lunch." Jessica told the rabbits still hanging around to grab the bags and follow them in, mentioning that food was probably going to be ready soon. Finnick was surprised and concerned how fast the bunnies had grabbed and hauled the bags in when 'food' was mentioned. Jessica noted his expression and gave him a wink. "It's about knowing how to wrangle 'em."

Trisha meanwhile was getting the grand tour from Judy. Nick had gone ahead to make sure the large guest room was set up and waiting for them giving the girls some time to chat. "This is incredible! I mean it's ginormous! You guys built all this?"

Smiling at the enthusiasm of her friend, she looked around fondly at the burrow's many rooms with pride. "Yep. My father started digging it when he proposed to my mom and he kept on digging until it reached the size it is today." Glancing over to see the wonder on the brown bunny's face she hesitated. "You, uh, didn't have a burrow, huh?"

"Oh no. We lived in the suburbs. Six bedroom house, nice neighborhood. But nothing like this. I mean, wow!" They had just reached the great room and Trisha had tried to look at everything all at once, spinning quickly. "You have a giant living room that spans three floors! And it has a library in it. I mean seriously. How cool is this place?!"

"Yeah, I suppose it is pretty nice. I spent most of my childhood and teenage years trying to get away from all this that I guess I never stopped to appreciate it." Looking back, Judy could vaguely recall many events she passed up on trying to reach her dream. She would never get those opportunities back, but she didn't need them. _My dream came true. I am a police officer and I have a gorgeous mate who I can't live without._ Pausing in her thoughts, she let out an internal giggle. _Literally and figuratively._

Several of Judy's little brothers and sisters showed up at their elbows dragging bags behind them. They dropped them at their feet before hightailing it back the way they came, not even pausing long enough for the two mammals to shout out a thank you. Shaking her head, Judy motioned for Trisha to follow her. "Let's get you situated."

* * *

_**Saturday afternoon, Festival: Nick and Judy P.O.V.** _

"Alright Carrots. Time to show me how 'awesome' a Winter Harvest Festival can be." After having a quick lunch, mostly vegetable stew and bread loaf though Bonnie had cooked up some beetles and crickets for the two foxes, the out of towners had decided to head for the fair grounds. The majority of the Hopps children had already flown past them in a mad dash to reach the grounds first as though that would grant them special powers over the others.

Judy simply shook her head at her mate. She knew that with all of his experience in Zootopia that the festival's rides and attractions would be fairly tame to him but she hoped he would still get some enjoyment from it. She had been told by her father that there had been stuff added to the fairgrounds this year but he had not mentioned what. She suspected there would be another merry-go-round or children's roller coaster. She just hoped they didn't bring back the 'evil woods' ride where bloodthirsty fox cutouts jumped from behind trees. The last thing she needed was the foxes visiting to get pissed. Though knowing the childish antics of her mate he would probably join the ride for a little more 'authenticity.'

Normally they would make the trip by car or truck, perhaps even the flatbed they normally used to transport the tractors in order to get everyone there. Bonnie and Stu had a different approach this year. Because the weather was so mild, the sun beating down making it seem more like early fall or late spring, they suggested everyone walk to the fairgrounds instead. It would take nearly forty-five minutes for them to get there on foot but the two adults recognized the method to the parents' madness. Not only would they have some extra time to themselves with a less crowded house, but they also hoped the trip to and from the festival would wear out the rest of the group by the time they got home. Spending a good amount of their time tending the fields, a forty-five minute walk for the younger bunnies was merely a stroll. For the two ZPD officers and the brown furred, blue-eyed doe they brought with them, it was a chance to stretch their legs after being trapped in the car for so long. It was Finnick who was having the most trouble. Walking in the city wasn't something one just did. You might _walk_ to the nearby grocery store, but anything further than a few blocks required a car. He was out of breath before they had even reached ten minutes into their journey. His saving grace came when Jessica told him to sit beneath a shady tree and wait for her. About fifteen minutes later, she had pulled up and got him inside her car before they proceeded to the fair grounds.

Nick and Judy made the most of their time together by simply enjoying each other's company. She had wrapped her arms around his as they walked, much the same way they normally did on their trips around Zootopia, though not when in uniform as the Chief frowned on PDAs. The closer they got the grounds the more heavily concentrated the crowds became. While the Winter Festival did not draw in quite the numbers that Carrot Days normally would, there were still plenty of mammals around and the duo was quickly drawing stares.

In Zootopia, the two had gotten used to being observed by others, whether it was in a negative or positive light. They really did not care how their relationship was viewed as it was nobodies business but their own. While far more crowded in population than Bunnyburrow regardless of the number bunnies in the town, Zootopia was also a place where many strange things happened on a day-to-day basis. It was not uncommon to hear about celebrity breakups being reported as if it was actual news. Or a violent homicide being pushed to an online post rather than a top story for the evening. A fox and rabbit walking around town, holding paws and occasionally kissing was a strange sight, especially as nobody could recall it ever having happened before, but eventually it faded from memory once the next bit of gossip floated along.

The country though was different. Around there, gossip was a daily staple, much the same as bread, carrots, and lettuce. And the biggest gossip of the day that had been floating around town was the return of Judy Hopps, now Judy Wilde. Savior of Zootopia, hero cop to all, and mated to a predator. To a _fox_. The looks of disgust aimed their way were hard to ignore. It was a much harsher environment than the city as the intolerant mammals there were in far greater numbers. They were also more driven to speak their minds, bigoted though they were. City mammals might throw a few slurs their way, but it was rare to hear anything akin to violence aimed in their direction. It was quite a shock therefore to hear death threats being yelled and repeated throughout the crowd.

"Look at them. Sick freaks."  
"Probably manipulating her. Keeping her with him by scaring her."  
"Stupid bunny. He could kill her and devour her at anytime and she doesn't even know."  
"What are you doing here, _fox?_ Ran out of things to steal in the city?!"  
"Maybe we should string em up. Tell everyone else what happens to pred-chasers like her."  
"isn't that a bit far, Charlie?"  
"No! All foxes should be hung and the bunny is probably tainted by him."

"Head high, Carrots. Never let them see that they get to you." Though hurting on the inside by the hatred pointed towards him, it was the idea of them attacking his mate that nearly broke the surface, his rage demanding to be unleashed against the crowd.

"Oh they're getting to me, Nick. And it ain't in a good way." A sudden loud snarling had the crowd backing up immediately, fear flashing across their faces. But it was not coming from the vulpine. With stiff ears and bared teeth, Judy Wilde looked positively savage. Crouched low as if ready to leap at the first mammal to cross her path, the crazed look in her eyes was enough to make nearly everyone in front of them frightened. "Get away from my mate, before I do something _you'll_ regret." Her words were barely understandable through the spittle flying from her gnashing teeth, but the meaning was very clear. The mammals scattered, none of them wanting to be anywhere near the insane rabbit.

Quickly gathering up his shaking bunny, Nick sat and pulled her into his lap. Feeling her turn into his chest, he began rocking her as she grasped his shirt tightly, shivering violently. "It's alright, Carrots. It's over now," he said, stroking her ears that lay along her back. "Think about spending time with your family. The nights at the 10-7. Weekly sparring matches at the precinct." It was this last one that had the doe calming down which elicited a laugh from the fox. "Seriously, Carrots? You're such a workaholic."

Receiving a punch for his efforts caused him to laugh all the more. "Shut up." Getting up, she brushed some dirt from her pants and started to resume her walk towards the festival. Nick distinctly heard her muttering 'Dumb fox' under her breath which kept a smile on his face. A couple hundred yards shy of the entrance saw Judy pausing once more, her head hanging and her ears droopy. "Nick. Am I bad mammal?"

He was flabbergasted at the very idea she would see herself in that way. "What? Are you kidding? You are in no way a bad mammal. You are one of the greatest mammals I have ever heard of and the single greatest one I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. With all that you have done what would make you think you were a bad mammal?"

Scuffing her toe in the dirt, she tried to ignore the expectant gaze of her fox until it became unbearable. "I can't control myself. I just scared a couple dozen mammals into crapping their pants just because they threw out a few curses." _And death threats and speciest slurs,_ Nick thought but kept silent not wanting to make the situation worse. "I've been losing battles with my self control more and more lately. Do you think it's because, somewhere deep down, that I actually _want_ to hurt others?"

Dropping to his knees, Nick clasped her paws in his and put the other one under chin, lifting her head so she met his gaze. "Judith Wilde," the name sent shivers along her spine, nearly distracting her from what he was saying. "You are not now, nor have you ever been, a bad mammal. Instincts are difficult to control regardless of how much you try to control them. Wolves still howl, most bunnies still cower at the sight of sharp teeth, sheep prefer to be close knit, and red foxes," he looked at her sincerely and cupped her cheek, "still mate for life. We are all driven by instinct. It's what kept us alive for tens of thousands of years and it will probably persist for another ten thousand. And then there's you. You have a different problem altogether. Your instincts are heightened to the very peak of when we were nothing but unevolved animals. They are powerful and not easily tamed. The fact that you try let alone having learned to control them at all speaks volumes about your character and strength of will." Pulling her into a strong hug, he put his muzzle next to her ear and whispered so low she barely could make it out. "You are the strongest and nicest mammal I have ever met. One who was able to change the heart of a con-man and drag him into a life of honesty. You are Judy Wilde, the first bunny cop of the ZPD and my mate. Never forget that I, and so many others, love you."

Wiping her eyes on his shirt, much to his chagrin, she smiled up at him. "If that was made up on the spot, I am _so_ putting you in front of the camera next press conference instead of me." Wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, she nuzzled into his stomach. "Thank you, sweetie. I really needed that."

"It was my pleasure, Carrots. Now, let's head into the festival and see if there's something in there that will 'amaze' me like you said this morning." Walking the rest of the distance to the entrance, they were set to go inside when a small commotion in the makeshift dirt parking lot caught their attention. Jessica had gotten out from her car and appeared to want to hold Finnick's paw but he seemed reluctant to do so, turning away from the doe. Judy could see the hurt on her sister's face and felt the anger return. She started to head in their direction when she felt a paw on her shoulder stopping her. Looking up, she narrowed her eyes at her fox as he shook his head. "No Carrots. They need to work this out themselves."

Judy glanced back to see Finnick motioning for Jessica to follow him, though they were headed away from the gates. Her sister looked like she was going to refuse for a second, but then quickly hurried after the diminutive fox. "I hope you know what you're doing, Nick. Cause if he hurts my sister there won't be anywhere he'll be safe from me."

Rather than try to argue with his bunny, he simply steered her in the direction of the gate, joining the queue of mammals waiting to get in. _I hope this was worth the trip. And don't do something stupid, Fin. I don't want to have to arrest my mate for murder._

* * *

"I thought you said this festival was a small type thing?!" The red fox was staring well over his head, watching a medium sized roller coaster sending a cart through a huge loop causing the mammals in the carts to whoop and scream in excitement.

"I though it was too! I mean, it always _has_ been a small deal. A merry-go-round, maybe a couple of kid spinning rides. There was a teacup ride once but they took that away after the horrible motion sickness incident of 2002." Nick started to ask but decided he really did not want to know what happened back in 2002 and would just take his mate's word for it.

"There's a pirate ship swing! And a log flume ride! And is that...no way! A Zero Gravity?! I haven't seen one of those at the Zootopia fair in _years!_ Can we go? Can we can we can we?!" Judy giggled as she watched her mate turn into a giant kit right before her eyes. She didn't know what had brought all of these much more impressive rides to her small town but right now she was extremely happy it did. To see her fox enjoying himself was worth the trip to her, even with the harassment at the front gate.

"Tell you what, Slick. Let's go around the stalls first and then we'll go on as many rides as you want." She wanted to go on the rides as much as he did, but she knew that if they started they would do nothing but and she really wanted to visit her folks' stand and maybe see if Gideon had any new creations to snack on.

"Deal!" The excitement at the promise of being able to spend so much time on the rides had Nick agreeing without even a pause. Taking off like a shot, Nick started heading for the other side of the fairground for the farmer stalls.

"Hey! Wait for me! Ugh. Dumb fox." Kicking up her feet, Judy chased after the todd, gaining on him steadily though his head start did put him at an advantage to reach her parent's produce stall before her. She did have to chuckle slightly as she turned the corner and found him in front of her father, sprawled out on the ground. "What did you do to yourself now?"

Stu looked a little chagrined, wringing his paws nervously. "That's my fault, Jude. I was moving some boxes and didn't see Nick heading this way. He tripped over the stack of radishes I had just put down. Sorry about that, son."

Struggling to his feet, Nick brushed himself off, a cloud of dirt surrounding his once clean shirt Judy had picked out for him. "It's alright, Stu. No harm done. Well, except my dignity."

"Which you never had much of anyway," she quipped. She winked and mimed shooting him with a pistol as he clutched his chest and reeled back. "So dad, what are you doing here? I thought you and mom were spending some time together without the kits?"

"We are spending time together!" A female voice came from beneath the stall. Bonnie stood lifting a crate of lettuce onto the counter. "We wanted to make a day out of it and let the children run the stand for today but we both realized that it really wasn't much fun sitting at home doing nothing but the same old things we do once it gets dark out."

"We're farmers, Judy. The soil is-"

"In our blood." Judy rolled her eyes, remembering the speech he had given her most of her life in attempt to turn her away from a career as a cop. "I know, dad. Still, it doesn't hurt to have some down time. Refresh your body." Nick stood to the side, staring at her incredulously. She noticed him gaping at her. "What?"

"You are such a hypocrite!" Stunned, her face showed the shock she was feeling before it turned into a glare.

"What are you talking about?"

"That," he cried gesturing at her parents. "You tell them to take a break yet you're the one bringing case files to our bed and staring at them until well after midnight."

"Hey, that's not fair! I _always_ put them away for a few hours so we can have s-" she broke off immediately, eyeing her parents who were standing right next to her. Nick was snickering at her unintentional slip-up while her father breathed a little quicker than normal. She was surprised he hadn't keeled over but it appeared he had come much farther than she had expected in handling the idea of her and her mate's physical relationship. Her mother's reaction was both surprising to the doe but yet not at the same time.

' _A few_ hours?' she mouthed towards her daughter. A nod and a wink in her direction left the mature doe feeling a bit heated, a blush rising up her ears. Rabbits were infinitely more comfortable discussing sex than other mammals and especially mature does who had already experienced multiple litters to the point almost nothing shocked them anymore. She did have to admit though that she felt slightly envious of her daughter.

"So...um...how's the stall doing today?" Grateful for the change in topic, Stu's ears perked right up.

"Oh it's incredible. We're cleaning up like crazy. We normally only do a couple of crates of radishes per day in the winter but we're already on our tenth! I don't know where everyone is coming from but we're certainly not complaining." Judy did notice a bit of an extra bounce in his step as her father maneuvered around the back of the stand grabbing more produce to lay out front.

"I told you, dear. It's most likely the idea the council had to bring in more mammals from the rest of the Tri-Burrows and even from Zootopia." This peaked Judy's interest. She had not followed the town council much as a teen though she started taking a bit more of an interest when it came to the discussions on the sheriff department funding.

"What did they do?"

"Well you couldn't have failed to miss the bigger rides this year." Stu gestured back the way they had come, though he really didn't need to as the rides could be seen over the tents in front of them. "The council decided that the Winter Harvest was lacking in bringing in revenue like Carrot Days normally does. So they took a chance and invested in renting some more of the popular rides from bigger fairs. It seems to have worked though. It's been far more crowded than in years past. I mean look at all the different mammals that are here."

Nick and Judy stared around them, noticing how right Stu was. Around them were a vast variety of mammals Judy did not remember ever seeing in Bunnyburrow. There was one or two families of wolves in the area, but now she was looking at several subspecies of them and in numbers far greater than any one family could produce. She also had rarely seen antelopes walking about freely. And she didn't remember _ever_ seeing a group of tigers at one of the country festivals. They both figured that living in Zootopia mainly blinded them from being around such a large amount of different animals surrounding them but there was no denying that this Winter Festival had attracted many more mammals than ever before.

"Well howdy Mister Wilde. Miss Judy. Glad ta see ya back in Bunnyburrow." Turning the pair looked into the kind face of none other than the local fox and greatest baker in the land, Gideon Grey.

"Gideon! Oh it's so good to see you!" Judy jumped the couple of feet between her and the other red fox in her life, grabbing him around the waist and pulling him into a strong hug. Nick had to stifle a surge of jealously but the feeling disappeared quickly. Knowing that his mate was much like a red fox herself, he had no fear that she would ever desert him, having bonded to him for life in more ways than one. He also knew Gideon would not ever cross that line out of respect for the both of them but also because of Nick's mark on her, something that no fox ever violated.

Indeed, Gideon's eyes went a little wider as the scent of the mark reached his noise when Judy finally released him. Grinning widely at the two of them, he placed his paws on his hips. "Well c-congratulations you two! I'll be. I g-gotta say, when ya firs' showed up at ma shop all those months ago with a fox in tow, I wasn' sure what was happenin' or wha' I was seein', but ah certainly am glad for you. Little Judy H-Hopps taking a fox fo' her mate. Who'da thunk it."

"Wilde."

"Sawry?"

"My name. It's Judy Wilde now." Gideon's brow raised and he quickly shifted his gaze to her paw and then to Nick's.

"Traditional?" He asked, trying to be as vague as possible. Nick nodded. "Your idea?"

"No, actually. She suggested it. Was quite adamant about it, honestly." He looked over at his mate with pride, knowing that she knew exactly how important it was to him and to red foxes in general.

"Wow. You got yourself q-quite a mammal thar' Mister Wilde. Did you give her a-" he broke off seeing the suddenly wide eyes of the other fox and the almost imperceptible shake of his head.

"Give me what?" Nick ignored her, keeping his gaze focused on Gideon.

"It's not ready yet." Gideon nodded, understanding immediately. Turning his gaze back to his mate, Nick smiled softly as his mate. "Sorry about that, Carrots. It's a fox thing. But I promise I'll explain when it's time."

Not happy being kept out of the loop, Judy grudgingly let the issue go, willing to trust her mate. "Alright. But I expect you to tell me the instant whatever this thing you're talking about is ready."

Leaning down and kissing her between her ears, Nick nuzzled her with his cheek, spreading his mark along her. "Don't worry, Fluff. It's something I wouldn't dream of keeping from you."

* * *

After having spent some more time talking with her parents and Gideon along with Nick purchasing and devouring several pastries from the fox's stand, they finally headed out to experience some of the rides. Nick had been jumping up and down like a hyperactive kit waiting in the lines. She had been half-surprised he hadn't scooped her up and run with her across the festival grounds to get there quicker.

The first thing Nick dragged her to was the roller coaster. Judy wasn't afraid of heights but the sight of the carts looping upside down made her feel more than a little queasy. She told herself that if Nick could do it, then so could she. It was an argument she made many times in their relationship but she found herself usually falling short. For all of his quirks, he really was very talented in many ways. She had assumed when they first met that Nick had never aspired to be anything more than a pawpsicle hustler, something she regretted every day since then. And then she had found out, little by little, that he was a deeply complex mammal that had succeeded in many areas of life that most would be too scared to even attempt. She was determined though to push through whatever he attempted and show him she could handle herself just fine.

The line eventually shortened to the point they would be next in the carts. As long as it had taken to get to that point, it seemed as if the ride had slowed even more making the wait longer for their turn. Judy had slowly been growing more nervous yet excited at the same time. She was almost always on board to try new things. It was her unofficial motto to 'Try Everything' with her official one being 'I don't know when to quit.' Finally though it was their turn. The attendant turned to help them board and did a quick double take at the sight of a bunny ecstatically holding the arm of a tall red fox. He didn't seem to have a problem with it which the couple was grateful for, it was just a shock to his system having never seen the likes before.

Some of the passengers behind them _did_ unfortunately have a problem with them, but up front, where the view was the best and their bodies pressed tightly together, neither cared about what others had to say. It wasn't their responsibility to make the ignorant and the bigoted grow up and join society in their day and age and they would not let it be their problem. They were there to have fun and that was what they were going to do.

A rumble and a click told Judy they were on their way. The forward motion of the cart started off slow which made her all the more nervous knowing what was to happen soon. Nick, sensing her trepidation, wrapped his arm around her and pulled her tight. The scent of her mate close by her and the touch of his body on hers calmed her considerably, though she could still feel a hint of fear creeping into the back of her mind.

Slowly picking up speed, the carts reached the first steep incline, gravity pressing their backs into the seat. The climb was torturous, both of them secretly wishing the carts would speed up so they could experience the adrenaline rush the ride was sure to provide. Nick had been on his fair share of roller coasters in his life and was well prepared for what was about to happen. Judy, who had only seen the machines in action while standing in line a few minutes ago, knew the mechanics of it but had yet to feel the motion and speed for herself. They both had tensed as the cart reached the peak. It felt as if it would be too heavy to finally take the plunge until a slight nudge from the wheels had them tipping over the edge.

The sudden rush of wind through her fur had Judy yelping in excitement. Her ears flew back behind her, unable to stand straight up due to the speed. It was an exhilarating feeling to move this fast. She had been in much faster situations in the cruiser of course, last week being a prime example as they engaged in a high speed chase through two districts to catch a pair of smugglers bringing in Nip to the city. However that was in a vehicle they were in control of. A closed box of steel and armor. This was an open cart, the only thing keeping them from certain death was a set of tracks and a metal bar latched over their hips. It was when they reached the first loop that Judy cried out in terror, sure that they would fall to their doom. Instead it had provided probably the biggest thrill out of any carnival ride she had ever been on and she found herself wishing the cart would go faster so she could reach the next loop sooner.

Nick had been watching his mate the entire time. Every excited look, every flash of fear, he was capturing it all in his mind. He wasn't missing much in regards to the ride. It was a small roller coaster compared to the ones he'd been on. His insistence on going on this particular ride was so he could observe his bunny experiencing the thrill he knew it could bring, something she had never been able to feel before. On the last loop before the end of the ride, he grabbed her paw and raised it up, joining her in her whoop of laughter.

After the ride they found themselves at a photo booth showing different pictures on the screen. Nick scanned them before finding themselves on one of the monitors. "We'll take a deluxe package of number twenty-two." The cashier, who Nick knew worked mainly on commission having been a part of a traveling carnival himself many years ago, looked a little more upbeat with the large purchase, his face losing the depressingly bored look it had when they got off the ride. Handing over a decent amount of money to the mammal, Nick took the envelope offered to him and stowed it under his arm. "For later," was all he said when he held it up out of reach of the shorter bunny.

From there the two got on the swinging pirate ship ride, however after the roller coaster it felt pretty tame and did not bring much excitement, although it did allow them to cuddle a little closer, the bar not being quite so restrictive. To the two lovebirds it felt more like a large porch swing just with unfortunately loud music and screaming kits all around them.

It was on the third ride, the Zero Gravity that Nick had started becoming really excited. He had mentioned that it had been several years since he had last ridden one and it seemed to be a favorite of his. His tail had caused quite a few issues, knocking into her and several other mammals walking around as it wagged uncontrollably. He had even started to pant which made Judy laugh at the absurdity. Here was her mate, a fully grown fox and a police officer to boot, with his tongue hanging out at the idea of being on a carnival ride.

Climbing up the rickety and poorly put together metal stairs, Judy and Nick walked onto the round platform. She noticed several full length pads strapped against the steel walls. It seemed like an odd setup as she followed her fox along the thin walkway between the pads and the roped off center of the ride. Stopping just shy of him when he came to a halt, she followed his actions stepping between two metal poles running from the floor and curving back to attach to the wall above the pads. Nick leaned back into the cushion and Judy did the same. Her fox reached over and clipped a cable that hung lower than his own across her slot. It wasn't anywhere close to her body and she failed to see the point of it. It felt very awkward and she would not be ashamed to admit she didn't understand the purpose of any of it but she trusted him to know what he was doing.

As each slot filled with mammal after mammal, the attendant eventually closed off the entrance with a thin chain that Judy would not be surprised to learn it came from one of those wallets that clips to a belt loop. It took only a minute for the hum of the machine to begin, the metal against her back and the wood beneath her feet to begin vibrating. With a sudden lurch, the platform started spinning. Slowly at first, but it began picking up more speed rapidly.

The cable suddenly seemed less than adequate if she were to fall and she gripped the metal bars with all of the strength, praying she would not be tossed off the ride and into the dirt, shattering every bone in her body. Glancing over to her mate, confused how this could be his favorite ride, found herself presented with an astonishing site. Instead of being terrified, her fox was laughing ecstatically. His paws were not clutched around anything to hold himself in place. In fact, he had raised his arms in the air and had began whooping at the top of his lungs. He started to lean forward when he caught sight of Judy's terrified face. Reaching over, he grasped her paw with his own and, after giving her a reassuring smile, slowly lifted it from the steel.

She immediately felt the g-force hitting her like a thousand bricks. Her nervousness and terror at the way the ride had situated her had pushed all other feelings out of the way. Now that she knew that the speed of the spinning was what was actually holding her in place, she found herself enjoying it much more. When the ride started lifting up and tilting, a flash of fear reentered her mind before being swept away by the rush of adrenaline. Unfortunately, much as all rides must do, it had ended too soon for her liking. She was not surprised to see a few mammals stumbling around, one even looking greener than normal. Judy had begun hopping up and down, throwing herself into Nick's arms. "That was amazing! I've never felt anything like that before. What should we do next?"

Looking up to the sky starting to darken slightly, Nick watched from afar as Bonnie and Stu closed up the stall and started herding their children towards the exit. The fair was far from closing for the night, but many family mammals were heading home for the day. The neon lights of the rides began turning on, lighting up the area with the glows of red and purple, green and yellow. Nick looked towards the tallest and most brightly lit ride in the park. "We're gonna go on that one."

Judy looked where he was pointing to see a gigantic Ferris wheel, the largest she had ever seen in Bunnyburrow. She didn't know if Nick had somehow found out because she never told anyone but her parents and maybe Sarah, but the Ferris wheel was always her favorite. She would sit at the top and pretend she could see Zootopia and picture herself in the city, fighting bad guys and taking them to jail. As she had grown older, it had seen more as a romantic place but as she never went on dates or had a boyfriend, she soon found her sanctum crowded with couples. And now that she had a mate of her own, she couldn't wait to ride it with him. She fixed her eyes on his and grasped his paw. "Let's go."

The line had been short for the Ferris wheel, but once the lights had switched on and the sky turned black, it suddenly filled up very quick. Luckily they had jumped ahead and snagged a place closer to the start so they wouldn't need to wait too long. Soon it was their turn to step into one of the cabins and drift into the sky. Judy could hardly contain herself, wanting to bounce around happily. It had been quite a while since she had been on a Ferris wheel and now she was there. With her fox. Her _mate_. It was a childhood fantasy turned reality, one that she never wanted to forget for as long as she lived. Quickly pulling out her phone, she took a selfie of them together. Nick with his usual smug smile and half-lidded gaze, her with her energetic grin and perky attitude. It had happened at just the right moment capturing the last rays of the sun peeking over their shoulders. Glancing at it, she quickly made it her wallpaper and showed it to him, giggling like a schoolgirl.

Nick was having trouble not staring at her, the excited laughter making him feel giddy as well. It was only the faint outline of two mammals off to the side, outside of the fairgrounds, that pulled his attention away. "Carrots. Is that Sundae over there?"

Looking at him with an amused expression, not sure if he was serious or if this was a practical joke of his, she followed his gaze only to become very confused. "That _is_ Sarah! What is she doing out here? She hates being out in public, especially around crowds." Judy was having trouble understanding her sister's newfound desire to be around other mammals considering everything she had been through in her life. She wondered if being at med school had changed that about her but nothing in their last messages had hinted at anything like that.

"Wait...Petals?!" Nick's shocked cry made her squint, trying to see what he could. In the fading light though, her eyes were very poor. She would have to rely on his night vision to fill her in.

"Trisha is out in the field with my sister? What are they doing?"

"It looks like they're just laying there. Looking at the sky." He appeared as confused as she was. Neither thought, that out of everyone here, that Trisha would make friends with Sarah. Sarah refused to really speak to any bunnies, keeping herself isolated except when back in Zootopia. And yet there she was, spending time with the most energetic and bubbly bunny Judy had ever known. Though it sort of made sense. As a suburban rabbit before becoming a big city one, Trisha had never been exposed to the stigmas of the burrows where a mixed rabbit was seen as a pariah, one to be avoided at all costs. She wouldn't treat Sarah as another bunny around here would and that might have given Sarah the confidence to spend time with her. Judy felt happy for her sister for making a friend though she was still puzzled by it.

* * *

Having stayed out quite late, not leaving until they started to close down the festival for the night, Nick and Judy took their time getting back to the house. They were still on suspension and this was technically their first vacation since the last time they were in Bunnyburrow, so their plan was to sleep in the next day and go hiking later that morning. The festival had been enjoyable but they longed for some quiet time. The noise and busyness of the city made them feel at home, but some days it was better to be out in nature, with just their thoughts and a calm breeze blowing across their fur.

Walking along the edges of the fields, Judy ran her paw along the stalks letting them bend with her movement. She had always found the stillness of night out in the country to be her favorite time. What was seen as silence simply because of the lack of vehicles and loud mammals walking along the road, was known to Judy as being a time when the orchestra of nature was allowed to spring forth. The rustling of the grass mixing with the crackling of the leaves in the trees. Crickets chirped in the crop fields while fireflies provided flickering lights to enchant the listener. All of it was familiar and yet alien to the gray doe. To Nick it was something he had never seen before. Their last trip had not left time for late night exploration and he had never encountered anything like this in all of his travels of the city districts.

Holding each other's paws, the two headed back to the burrow in silence, letting the moon beams light their way and the wind and insects keep them company. It was the sound of hushed giggling and trampling stalks that made the two pause. They hid behind a tree near the field, giving them a perfect vantage point of the edge of the stalks.

They did not need to wait long as two dark shapes emerged into the light. Judy had to clamp a paw over her mouth to stifle the gasp she let out at the sight of her sister Sarah and her friend Trisha pushing out of the field on the grass. "Well that was fun. You sure you know your shortcuts, huh Sundae?" Trisha's tone was sarcastic but playful, leading the other doe to scrunch up her nose and make a face at her.

"I never said I knew where I was going. I told you before, nobody wanted me around. So I barely know anything about these fields or the woods over there. I can tell you how many tiles there are in all thirty one bathrooms."

"That's okay, I don't need t-... _Thirty one bathrooms_?!"

Nick turned towards Judy and arched a brow. ' _Thirty one bathrooms?'_ he mouthed. She smiled and gave him a light tap to his side before turning back to the two bunnies.

"Well, over 300 kits you gotta have a decent amount of bathrooms, right? Anyway, I was always alone and none of my siblings wanted to play with me. Except Judy. She was always my friend. Always my sister. I missed her when she left." Her smile at reminiscing days gone by turned sad. "I was alone again." Her smile brightened up again. "But not tonight!" Reaching out, she grasped the brown bunny's paw and pulled her in for a tight hug. "Thank you Trisha. Thank you for being with me today. It meant more to me than you'll ever know."

"H-happy to do it, Sundae." Nick beamed with pride at hearing the nickname he had given the doe but Judy was focused on the slight waver in Trisha's voice. She had rarely known Trisha to be nervous but that was exactly what it sounded like.

"I'm gonna go get some sleep. It was a great day, Trisha. Maybe...maybe you m-might like to do it again? Tomorrow?" Her voice was so hopeful yet bracing for the worst, expecting to be rejected once more. She could barely even meet the brown doe's gaze.

The look in Trisha's eyes was not something Sarah would know to look for, but Judy and Nick recognized it well. There was a longing burning deep inside, one that frightened even the brown doe herself. Running her digits over the smooth fur of the mixed bunny's paw, she lifted her head and met the tentative gaze of the mixed rabbit. "I'd like that," she whispered, her words barely audible to Judy.

Pink eyes flashed with excitement at her words and she squealed happily. Throwing her arms around Trisha's neck, Sarah jumped up and down wildly. "Oh this is going to be so fun. We can go hiking or maybe to the river. Maybe we can even go to the festival. I haven't been to one in years-..." Her voice faded out as she led Trisha back towards the burrow.

After a minute or so, the fox and rabbit both felt it was safe enough to head there themselves, confident they wouldn't run into the two bunnies again. Nick was the first to voice his suspicions. "So...Trisha and your sister. That's pretty interesting, wouldn't you say?"

"Interesting?" Judy was sure she knew what he was implying but wasn't ready to accept that as a possibility. "In what way?" She refused to glance in his direction knowing she would be met by his smug look.

"You saw the same thing I did. _Heard_ everything I heard. You know what's brewing. The real question is...how do you feel about it?" Nick wasn't being judgmental. He knew that Judy would not be completely against it. It was how she would react to it that had him worried.

"I...don't know to be honest. Trisha may seem confident and sure of herself, but she has her own share of insecurities and vulnerabilities that Sarah does." She looked up at him with sincere worry in her eyes. "This could either be a really good thing, or ruin them both for a long time."

* * *

Entering through the side door, neither mammal was surprised to see that most of the house was deserted. It was very late after all. They did see a few rabbits here and there, some of the older ones hanging out in the great room, playing games and watching tv, but the rest of the public rooms were silent. They made their way down the halls towards the guest rooms, both of them looking forward to the comfortable bed waiting for them. Their parents had set up the same room they had stayed in the last time which they appreciated and Judy had been overjoyed to hear from her mother that her father had not offered any resistance this time around. Being mates, married in all but name by fox tradition, as well as earning the acceptance from Stu so many months ago, had gone a long way towards making him comfortable with their relationship.

The halls were still covered by the same murals and children drawings as before, but there was a new addition that had both the fox and rabbit pausing for a moment. The original picture of the gray rabbit police officer had now been joined by a crude but flattering picture of a red fox, also clad in police blues and gold badge on his chest. The two were holding paws with little hearts floating around them. Judy placed her paw on his chest, admiring the child drawing that perfectly described them. She missed the look of love Nick gazed down on her with, but it did not matter. He knew she was aware of how he felt and that was all that mattered. Leaning in, he gave her a soft kiss between the ears before reeling back.

"Phew! Carrots! You reek." Whipping her head around, her face aghast at his words, went to admonish him when her own nose twitched.

"Speak for yourself, Wilde. Wow. That festival was not kind to you at all. Apparently not to either of us," she remarked, noticing the way the vulpine's nose wiggled. "Guess we're hitting the showers before bed."

Getting a twinkle in his eye, Nick leaned in close, though he held his breath for a few seconds to do so. "Lead the way, Fluff," he husked, wiggling his brows seductively."

"Don't even think about it, _fox_. I'm too tired to do anything right now. And we need our sleep before tomorrow. I plan on making you beg for mercy tomorrow." Smiling evilly at the look of hope on his muzzle, she continued. "Hiking, Slick. We're going hiking." Chuckling at the look of horror now spread across his face, she skipped down the hall towards the guest bathroom. She only made it about ten steps before she suddenly found herself airborne, two arms of russet fur carrying her at a run. "Nick!" she squealed happily. "Put me down, you dumb fox!"

"Nuh-uh, Carrots. Once a fox sets his sight on his prey, nothing will deter him." He shot a glance down at her. "And right now, you're my prey." Snapping jaws filled her vision causing a heat to spread throughout her body. She knew what that feeling was and she desperately tried to fight it. _Stake-out in Tundratown. Babysitting rookies on the shooting range. Bogo in a dress!_ The last one did it for her, the feeling fading fast, though it caused her to snicker heavily.

They made it in record time which was a credit to the fox. "I knew all those training sessions at the Academy would help me one day." He struck a pose, flexing his muscles. They actually were quite impressive on his lean figure. "I didn't know they would help me run down bunny burrow tunnels like a jackrabbit but it works for me. I am Master of the Burrow now." Standing up straight, he puffed out his chest and strutted towards the bathroom door.

"Hey 'Master of the Burrow', where'd you put the towels?" She had trouble hiding her toothy grin as her fox paused, his paw held out in front of him mere inches from the door. It took several seconds but his head eventually dropped before a heavy sigh drifted from him. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him but it did not outweigh the pure hilarity of the whole thing.

"So close. I was so close to being the Master of the Burrow." Turning around, he headed back towards the closet a little ways up the hall to grab some to dry off with. "I would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling towels."

_*Explicit*_

Judy laughed at his antics, knowing he was going above and beyond to get at least a chuckle from her which he always did. His sense of humor, while an acquired taste to most, was something she loved deeply about him. It may have always been a survival tactic in days past, something he used to diffuse a situation, though it normally put him in far worse of one. He still used it to goad many mammals out there, especially criminals, but in recent days, specifically since he had met Judy, he had opened up allowing his humor to establish bonds with others like his co-workers.

Rather than wait for him to come back, Judy pushed open the door and headed into the guest bathroom. She figured she would get the water hot for the two of them and get a jump start on cleaning her fur. If she was as bad as he was, she didn't want to smell to linger on her any longer than was necessary. Thought she hadn't spent all that much time in it their last visit home, it was still very familiar to the doe. Overly large shower stalls dug into the walls, easily able to to fit the two small mammals, silently begged her to step into one and get the water running.

It didn't take too long for the water to start to fill the bathroom with steam, but it was long enough for her to look around and see a few things that brought back memories. The giant bathtub that looked like a hotel swimming pool caused a flash of Nick wanting to jump in and fox-paddle rather than get clean. She started giggling, the scene now as fresh in her mind as if it happened right in front of her that day. Turning back to the enclosure, Judy stepped in and reached for a new bottle of shampoo her mother must have stocked the bathroom with. Soon enough the flowery smell of lilacs coated her, dispelling any foul odors she may have picked up from being out that night.

Nick had taken longer than she had expected it to take so after rinsing she merely stayed in the water, letting the heat continue to wash over her. His mark was still strong and gave her no reason to fret that it may wash away. Lilac shampoo or not, the scent of her fox was with her always, comforting and thrilling her. Touching her neck where he had spread his mark along her not hours ago had her body shivering even though she was bathed in steam and glorious amounts of hot water. It was unfortunately a double edged sword for the bunny. The safety of her body came at the cost of her mind. She was constantly aware of him and constantly craving him. There was no controlling her instincts. No thought in the world would dissuade her once she reached a certain point. It was her curse, though one that she didn't really mind. It was a bit inconvenient when running late or if the urge happened during work though.

It was while she relaxed, letting the water run over her fur, that she noticed it. The wall in front of her. The one where her fox had lifted her, his paws cupped on her ass keeping them at the same height so he could press his lips to hers. She could again feel the coldness of the stone against her back as he pinned her there while she had wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling them together tightly, almost desperate to keep him pressed against her.

The image was so powerful she began to feel herself get wet even under the pressurized spray from the shower. A heat had slowly begun spreading throughout her body focusing on her loins, telling her she was slowly losing control. She didn't care. She just knew she wanted to remember all of it. _Needed_ to remember it. She snaked a paw down to her mound while rubbing another along her chest.

_The memories were flooding back to her from so many months ago. Back before she was mated to her fox. Back when it was her only desire in the world to feel his teeth and claws ravaging her, to feel him thrust deep inside her. She remembered the overwhelming passion between them. The moment when they lost control of themselves. Became more than just boyfriend and girlfriend, more than just male and female, more than just fox and bunny. They had become animals. Lost in lust. Tracing her digits over her throat, she felt the bite marks of their most recent session together which caused another memory to surface. The first time he latched on to her had been right in this room. She had cried out for more and he had given it to her. Shoulders had been pierced, her neck had bled. He had finally fulfilled one of her guilty fantasies._

Biting her lip at the sensations, Judy tried to keep a moan from escaping her lips while her paw put pressure just above her mound, not wanting to push the boundaries just yet. The images were causing a large surge of arousal and she wanted to let them build further before allowing herself the pleasure she was seeking.

_And then another had been fulfilled when he had used his sharp claws to shred her clothing. The shirt stripped from her torso, tatters scattering everywhere. He had been very gentle, only letting his claws graze her fur while still completing his task like a savage. It had made her heart quicken at the same time it made it soften, her arousal and affection battling for dominance. Those thoughts had been banished to the winds when he had grabbed her ears and hauled them back, exposing her throat to his deadly maw and sharp teeth._

Taking her paw from her chest, she grabbed her ears and yanked them hard, tilting her head back much as Nick had done that had excited her more than she had wanted to admit. Keeping hold of them, eliciting a small amount of pain that felt wonderfully erotic, she pushed over the edge and stroked her clit with her paw. This time she could not contain her cry, the sound echoing across the chamber.

_Her shriek of excitement that had filled his ears had sent him over the cliff. He had lost all rational thought and had dropped her. She had been shoved onto her back, her fur meeting the cold floor. A savage fox had crept over her on all fours, eyes gleaming and teeth snapping. It had filled her with a hint of fear but oh so much arousal. She had been exhilarated at him finally taking control. And when he had grasped her paws and shoved them overhead, it had taken all of her willpower to not shout to the heavens._

Remembering the helplessness she had felt, Judy threw her arm up pinning it to the shower wall as if trying to achieve that feeling once more. Her paw had continued to abuse her sex, circling her clit repeatedly, pressing in and dragging along. Softly at first but eventually picking up speed and intensity.

_Unable to look down and see what he was doing to her, the first lick of his tongue had surprised her, her hips suddenly bucking up in an instinctual urge to flee from the sensation while another, stronger part of her had wanted more, the bucking bringing her sex closer to his wonderful tongue. He had continued to please her, letting the hot, smooth muscle slide along her slit and part her folds. Dragging the large surface across her clit, lapping up her sweet nectar. She laid there unwilling to move away when she felt his fangs grazing the fur above her mound and on her rear. The knife-like pressure of his bite had her crying out before the thrust of his tongue inside had her writhing beneath him. Over and over he had pressed against her folds and parted them, his tongue sliding deep, reaching places she had never thought she had. It had not taken long for her to suddenly shriek in pleasure._

Her thumb was still actively stroking and pressing on her clit, but she had allowed two of her digits to slide downward and push into herself. Keeping a thrusting motion much as she remembered Nick's tongue doing, Judy started to feel herself reaching her goal. Her tongue was hanging out of her mouth slightly while she panted with excitement.

_With his teeth having been all over her, he had all but claimed her as his mate except for the marking. The idea of being this predator's mate had been something on her mind for months and she had felt she had finally reached that time. He had shed his own pants and loomed over her, their naked flesh pressed against one another. He had gripped his shaft, the member having long ago escaped from it's sheath. She remembered how red and swollen it looked as if it was crying out for release. He had spread her legs wide, getting ready to mount her. Her excitement had shown as she pleaded and begged him to do it. To join with her. To mate with her. To fuck her senseless._

Feeling a paw rip her own from her sex shocked her, but not as much as having two far larger digits replace them, thrusting deep within her. Her eyes flew open to see a mammal of red and creamy white staring down at her, a wry smile on his smug muzzle. Lifting her off the floor, he kept his paw inside of her and started thrusting harder. Her moans had increased with his speed and strength overwhelming her. She had been so close that Nick had very little work to do. Clenching down, she bit his chest and shrieked into his fur, cumming all over his paw.

Judy looked up at him to see water cascading over the head of her fox, soaking his fur and leaving small strands to fall in front of his eyes. It made him look devilishly rogue, something she made sure to never tell him for fear of stroking his ego further. Black tipped ears lost their fluffy appearance and his teeth were laid bare. If not for the handsome smile and the twinkling green eyes, she would almost say he had gone savage. Though she wouldn't care if he had gone savage or not. This was her fox. He would never hurt her nor she him. _Wouldn't mind giving it a try,_ she thought wickedly. _Savage fox meets savage bunny. Fur will fly and the bed will die._

"This is certainly a nice way to start a shower. Finding an extremely attractive _wet_ bunny waiting for me." Bending down, he rooted his nose through her fur along the top of her head, smelling her arousal even beneath all the water and steam. "Although I suppose she didn't _wait_ all that long, did she?" Enjoying the way her ears blushed and she cast her eyes downward, he reached past her for the fur shampoo. Lathering himself up slowly, he let her eyes travel along his naked physique before pulling his paws away to soak them in the spray. He had learned early on that one of her favorite things was to scrub his fur. It allowed her to get the contact her condition made her so desperately crave, while at the same time getting to nuzzle his wet fur soaking up the scent of him. Not many mammals would like the scent of a wet fox or a wet canine at all, yet she desired him like this. She said his scent was stronger and made her feel protected. His mark was now all she needed but old habits died hard. She still preferred to bathe him herself.

Slow rubbing motions through his fur felt like heaven to the vulpine. Digits trailing through and softly yanking at the intertwined strands gave him a pleasurable feeling, one that only her paws could cause. So many times during the day would he imagine being back in the shower with her like they were every morning. It wasn't just the sex they enjoyed in the spray, which he had to admit was phenomenal, but it was the level of intimacy they shared together. Her paws would travel along him, cleaning and grooming his fur. He larger one would trail along her ears before sliding down her back, getting the loose fur out and scrubbing the flesh beneath her fur. It showed a level of trust and bond by performing such an intimate act between two mammals. It made him feel wanted. At peace. It was sheer bliss.

And, just like every time before then, Judy decided it wasn't enough for them to be at peace. Still reeling from the wondrous sensations her paws were causing through him, he felt another, _different_ , sensation. Through the thick shampoo lather surrounding his midsection, a paw was running along his sheath, sending waves of pleasure through his body. A soft but firm grip had formed around it, slowly stroking along the length, trying to coax his shaft from it's hiding. He had been tired after their long day and knew she had an especially tiring day planned tomorrow. However, at the touch of her paw caressing him, all thoughts of going to sleep were banished from his mind. Instead the only thought now running through it consisted of how many ways he could make this bunny scream his name.

Their height difference was not a problem for them when hugging. Nor was it a concern when he leaned down to give her a kiss. When they wanted to be intimate though, that's where the issues occurred. Bringing his paws down rapidly, his latched them around her hips and lifted her into the air with a squeak coming from the startled bunny, echoing around the bathroom. Her surprise lasted only moments before she reacted, latching her lips to his with passion. Her arousal had not decreased in the slightest since he had made her orgasm around his paw and now she needed more. She needed _him_.

Wrapping her strong legs around his waist, she giggled internally at how familiar this all seemed. Especially when he pushed her up against the wall, pressing his body fiercely up against hers. The heat between their bodies was exquisite to the young doe, something she reveled in every morning, noon, and night when she could get a hold of him and ravage his body. They were never quite sure who was the more dominant one but they both knew that it didn't matter. They were equals when it came to giving their lover pleasure.

Running her paws along his back and finding he was still covered in shampoo, Judy reached out and grabbed the showerhead from it's holder. Turning up the heat, she pressed it against her chest, letting the water burn against them. Another guilty pleasure of theirs. Raising it overhead, she sprayed the water down over his body, letting it wash away all of the suds leaving only his wet fur behind. She may like to bathe him, even to rub against his slick body, but it was far too slippery for her to enjoy what was going to come next for the two mammals.

She knew what he wanted from her. Knew what he hungered for. Knew that if she tilted her head back just enough, just like that, that he would st- _ahhh. There it is. Those big teeth biting down. I can't go anywhere mister fox. You hunted me and now you have me in your jaws. What will you do to your prey? Bi-Ah! Bite harder like that? Oh god it feels so good._ She ran her paws through his fur and over his ears. She gazed down at the feral look in his eyes. It was there every time and it always made her excited. Always grow wet between her thighs. If he reached a paw down there she was sure it would be coated in her. He had latched onto her shoulder and was really bearing down, something he always did when he was overly excited. After having been pent up all day and then finding her like that in the shower, she couldn't really blame him. A small shake of his jaws had her flopping to the side, a gasp escaping from her lips followed by a calm and delirious smile. Used to being fox-handled after all these months, she knew exactly what to do to her predator to get him as feisty as she wanted.

Reaching out and grabbing his ears, she pulled back firmly, forcing him to let go of her shoulder so she could stare into his emerald eyes. "Enough of the foreplay. Floor. Now." Like an eager pup, he obeyed her directive, hauling her naked and wet body from the shower and laying her on the floor gently. Savage he may be but not a brute. Leaning over her, he drew in her scent before running a paw over her body, trailing his sharp claws everywhere his eyes went. Circling around her throat, dragging along her chest, sliding along her inner thighs. All of it designed to enhance her stimulation and make her hot and bothered. She was about to grab his wrists and drag him on top of her when he suddenly latched onto her hips. He only did this when he wanted to move the game along and drive himself into her which didn't bother her in the slightest. It was when he started to roll her over that his intentions became clear, and the opposite of what she wanted.

"Niiiick," she whined. "Not that. Please. I just want you to fuuuuu-ohhhh..." He protests faded away as she felt him straddle her, one leg on each side her hip, his sack pressing against her clit and his shaft running between her ass cheeks which he squeezed for a few seconds before reluctantly pulling away. She knew he loved her ass. He often called it her best sexual feature with her eyes being his favorite out of everything, but her eyes were definitely not what he was interested in now. Lifting his paws, he placed them at the base of her neck and gently dragged them down her back, circling out at the base of her rear and traveling back up, his claws delicately trailing along the same path. Letting out a deep moan, Judy shivered, loving the touch along the length of her body. Repeating the motion, Nick could feel her becoming further heated, his sack becoming coated in her arousal.

The fox grinned softly, knowing she was putty in his paws and would do just about anything he asked, which is just where he wanted her. Stretching forward, he laid his paws on her shoulders and began kneading them, massaging the tension away to leave her fully relaxed. He meanwhile was slowly rocking back and forth, his shaft sliding through the wet fur of her backside while the lower part of his sheath dragged along her slit with each forward push. The more relaxed she was, the more bothered she became until it was a battle warring within her. Hearing her start to whimper with need, he slid back far enough for him to slip down until the head of his shaft slid along her folds and then pressed in, sliding into her sex and bottoming out before she knew what had happened. Only a sharp gasp came from above, his bunny either choosing to remain silent, something she never did, or she was too overcome to emit a noise of any kind.

Pulling out until just the tip remained, he thrust forward once more, his sheathe becoming buried deep inside her. She was quite used to taking all of him though she never lost her tightness no matter how many times they made love, had sex, or furiously fucked each other. Finding a rhythm, Nick started thrusting in and out steadily, plunging all the way to the deepest parts of her core before sliding out until barely still inside, only to repeat his motions again. "Ah. Ah. Ah. AH. AH! _AH! AHH!"_ Judy was now pushing back as hard as he was thrusting in, the result seeing him pound into her, his shaft rapidly sliding in and out. "Oh keep going. Don't stop. Don't stop. Oh god yes. Yes! YES!" With a violent shudder around his foxhood, Judy came hard. He could feel her walls squeezing around him, nearly causing his own release. He wasn't done with the doe yet and refrained from allowing himself that pleasure.

Picking up the delirious bunny, Nick headed for one of the benches in the center of the room next to the lockers. Grabbing one of the towels, he spread it out along the wooden surface and placed his Judy on it. Her head was still swimming from the pleasure he had just given her and wasn't fully aware of what was happening, but she knew she was no longer on the floor. Looking up through her hazy vision, she thought she saw her fox leaning over her, but as her eyes cleared, she didn't see him above her nor anywhere else. It wasn't until she felt a hot, wet object sliding along her leg and dipping along her inner thigh that she realized where he had disappeared to. Lifting her head and spreading her knees, she saw the head of her fox, positioned between her thighs and poised to attack the inner walls which she had just revealed to him. Lunging forward, Nick slid his tongue along each side of her thigh, only letting the edges of his fur brush against her nether lips. It was enough to elicit a shudder and a sharp squeak from above him, but not enough for her to get as much pleasure as she craved.

Like before, Nick took his time in pleasing his mate. He had given her a quick orgasm to start, releasing some pent up frustrations within her that had not been dealt with through her own self-stimulation. Now it was time to start building her up for the main event. Rooting his nose into her mound, he breathed in her scent. His excitement only grew though he wasn't sure how that was possible, his erection already rock hard. Resisting the urge to ravage her right then and there, Nick forced himself to betray his instincts, to pay attention to her needs for the moment.

Sliding the very end of his tongue along her slit had the doe moaning again, her hips rolling on the wooden bench trying to direct him where she wanted. He was willing to let her do so, but only as far as _he_ wanted, the real control being with the one who owned the tongue currently gliding along her lips. Long, slow, deliberate licks ran from the very bottom of her labia up to her clit, causing her hips to buck hard enough that he needed to sink his claws into her hips to keep her from falling off.

Feeling herself even further restricted from getting what she wanted, Judy began kneading her chest, trying to give herself some sort of pleasure she could feel building within her. "Nick...you're killing me." Reaching down, the bunny grasped the todd's ear, gripping it tight and hauling him up her body until his eyes were even with hers. Yanking him into a hard kiss, he let her tongue mingle with his, tasting herself in his mouth. She groaned at the mingled taste of his saliva and her cum still coating her walls. Pulling him away, she gazed at him with a seductive _hungry_ look in her eyes. "Fuck me, Nick. Take me NOW!"

Before she could blink, Nick was standing over her, sliding her body to the end of the bench. Because it was designed for bunnies, it was difficult for him to line her up to allow him to thrust hard inside her. But he was nothing if not an inventive mammal. Kneeling at the end, Nick wrapped his paws under her knees and thrust into her. They both gasped at the pleasure they felt. This was how they were meant to be and how it always _would_ be. Grabbing her hips with his claws, Nick glanced down before shifting forward. Judy watched, noticing his hips and knees would not allow him to move inside her the way he was positioned but was only confused for a moment before he acted.

Using the grip on her hips and the position of his arms under her knees, he pushed her away down the bench, his shaft sliding out of her until he stopped. Seeing her look at him oddly, the sudden realization from her smile was all the approval he needed. Gripping tight, Nick yanked her back towards him, the towel beneath her back allowing her to rapidly slide to him, impaling her on his foxhood. It had been a move born out of necessity, but it was one they thoroughly enjoyed as Nick once again slid her away until he nearly fell out of her before hauling her in, their hips crashing together hard enough to bruise.

Over and over they followed the same motion, picking up speed and strength. Out, in. Out, in. He could sense her getting close by the panting sounds she was making and the occasional squeeze of her walls along his shaft. When the moans began getting close together and she started gasping for air, Nick slid her hard onto him and stopped his movements. Wrapping his arms around her, he stood keeping her impaled on him, giving her a few quick thrusts as she glanced at him with a confused expression. It caused her eyes to roll up in her head and forget whatever she was going to say to him.

Sitting down on the floor, still holding her in place, never wanting to ever leave the inside of her again, he laid down on his back. Letting his mate take her place on top of him, he gave a few experimental thrusts upwards making her aware of where they were. Locking eyes on hers, he gave her a smug smile. "Alright Carrots. I know you're bothered. I know you want this. You want to cum? Take it!"

Something changed in his bunny. The pleased look on her face morphed into one of hunger. Her eyes lost their sparkle and were replaced with that of a fiery gleam. Sounds of whimpers and gasps were wiped away as several growls ripped from her throat. His bunny had gone savage.

Placing her feet on the floor, Judy raised herself up as far as she could go without losing his rock hard shaft before dropping back down, shuddering at the speed and fullness she was feeling. Knowing her limits now, she picked up the pace, raising herself up and slamming back down on her fox. Keeping a steady pace went out the window as her arousal spiked. She was now forcing herself down upon him with reckless abandonment.

Nick was finding it difficult to let her control the game they were playing and eventually gave in, letting his own desires take control. Grabbing her hips, he began thrusting up into with each downward motion. It increased the feelings inside her, making her tingle with anticipation. Feeling his shaft plunge into her was making her shudder hard and gasp uncontrollably.

On one particularly hard thrust, Nick found himself losing control. Instead of thrusting into her when she slid down his shaft, Nick started taking over. His hips began bucking up into her, practically throwing her from his body. If not for the hold he had on her hips, she feared she might have fallen off of him. It was all she could do to hang on, letting him pound up into her.

A sudden noise to the side of them had Judy looking around out of habit. As hard as Nick was now thrusting inside her, it took a minute for her eyes to focus on the brown bunny standing on that side of the bathroom door. Watching her friend being fucked hard by the extremely large fox in front of her made Trisha freeze in place. The question she had to ask Judy died in her throat, the scene captivating every moment of her attention.

"Trisha." Her name being called snapped the bunny back to reality to concentrate on her friend who was currently bouncing on Nick's foxhood. "Get out or don't say a damn word, cause I'm not stopping."

Turning her attentions back to the fox between her legs, Judy watched him grin as he picked up the speed of his thrusts, his hips pistoning up and down on the tile floor hard enough he was most likely going to bruise himself but didn't care. Neither of them knew if Trisha had left or not but it didn't matter. Neither of them was going to give up their chance at pleasing the other.

"Fuck me! Oh god yes, fuck me Nick!" Judy's head was now lolling to the side, being bounced around by Nick's savage thrusts inside her. "Do it, Nick! Make me cum! Make me cum all over your fox cock!" Now on the edge himself, her comments did him no favors as he thrust as hard as he could, splitting her open with his knot and emptying himself deep into her womb. She in turn let out a high-pitched shriek and convulsed on top of him.

"I love you. I love you... _love..._ " Nick felt his bunny flop onto his chest breathing heavily.

"You alright, Fluff?" Stroking her ears, he waited for a fun quip or snarky retort. Maybe a comment about how amazing they were. Instead silence greeted him. "Carrots?" Looking down at her a little concerned, he relaxed seeing her softly snoring on his chest. Being as tired as she was and after their little activity, he wasn't surprised she had passed out. Cradling her to his chest, Nick started to roll over when he caught the sight of the door closing. _Trisha, you bad, bad bunny. Wonder what a certain doe would say if she knew..._ Being in the guest wing, only Trisha and Finnick would be in the halls and since he was certain Finnick would be in Jessica's bed that night and Trisha had obviously just seen everything anyway, Nick carefully carried Judy to their room.

The knot made walking difficult, but as light as she was it certainly helped him keep her steady. Entering the room, he slowly laid them both down on their sides, making sure to pull her in tight. He knew once his knot went down that it was going to negate their showers, but it couldn't be helped. _Besides,_ he thought, _in a burrow with three hundred bunnies, how hard would it be to find a set of sheets?_

* * *

**Big thanks to** **Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps and Bluelighthouse for the continued use of their characters 'Jessica Hopps' and 'Trisha Rose'. Thanks a bunch guys!**

**Chapter was so long I had to split up Nick and Judy's POV. Sunday is next time!**


	27. Chapter 31 - Back to Bunnyburrow Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So here we have it. The second half of the Wildes trip to Bunnyburrow. Chapter is shorter than usual because this is mainly continuing the second day. Otherwise the whole thing would have been 33k words :/ 
> 
> Disclaimer: Attempt #312 to sneak into Disney to steal the rights to Zootopia has failed. I dressed up as a character hoping they would think I was an employee. Apparently a six and a half foot tall overly large bearded man does not pull off a very convincing Pocahontas.

_**Sunday: Nick and Judy P.O.V.** _

Being underground with no natural light was something Nick could get used to. There was no nasty sun to wake him up, no chirping birds or loud traffic to stir him from his slumber. And because he and his mate were on a short vacation, she had agreed they would not use an alarm to get up. It had all seemed so perfect. Which is why he was disappointed with himself for not anticipating the betrayal.

"Get up, Nick. Let's go, rise and shine. Got a _lot_ to do today and we're not gonna start it off by lazing around in bed." Opening his bleary eyes, the fox could only sleepily glare at the overly perky bunny standing next to the bed. Already dressed in her finest plaid shirt and jean shorts, Judy looked ready to go harvest ten fields worth of crops, which is what he imagined her siblings were doing right now. He would be damned though if he was going to let her drag him into doing chores.

"You promised. No early wake-ups. I needed some sleep after last night slash early this morning. Some of us weren't lucky enough to be screwed so hard they passed out." Watching the bunny blush put him in a bit of a better mood, though he still would take a couple hours of extra sleep in exchange for her embarrassment.

"You hush, Nicholas Wilde. You can't possibly tell me you didn't enjoy our little shower time after the festival. Cause I know for a fact that you did. It was all over the two of us when I woke up this morning," she said a little crossly. She wasn't mad at him for that, nor did she regret anything they had done. No, what she was upset about was having to do the laundry of their bedding before they left and with over three hundred family members all clamoring for the washing machine, especially on a Sunday, it was going to be a nightmare to get done.

"Ugh." Sitting up, Nick raised his arms overhead and stretched, several joints in his arms and neck popping. The relief in his body was instantaneous and the only reason he would allow himself to be woken up so early. Fixating his gaze on the gray bunny, he glared. "I hate you."

If he was trying to faze her, it didn't work. "Yeah, yeah. Hate me over breakfast. Here. Put these on." Feeling a soft cloth hit his face, he yanked the shirt off his muzzle and started to speak, only to catch a pair of jeans partway in his open jaws. Watching her fox suddenly gagging trying to remove a pant leg from around his tonsils had the rabbit in stitches, rolling around on the floor with abandon.

Angrily yanking them out of his mouth, Nick tossed the offending garment away from him and across the room. "I suppose it's funny to you that I almost _died_ from that?" As the image of a newspaper headline reading 'Pantless Police Officer Passes After Particular Pants Prank', Judy could not contain herself and began laughing anew. Knowing he wasn't going to win any sort of battle with his mate with her this morning, Nick begrudgingly started pulling on his clothes. "You need to have a talk with your friend this morning, by the way."

"Trisha?" Having taken a seat at the massive vanity mirror to brush her fur, Judy continued stroking her ears while looking at him in the reflection. "Why, what did she do?"

"It's more like what she _didn't_ do." He struggled with his shirt for a moment, the collar getting tangled on his muzzle. "Ah! Gotcha!" Judy let out a small giggle, failing to muffle it behind her paws. Giving her a sheepish grin, Nick continued with his tale. "Do you remember Trisha coming in last night? Seeing us on the floor?" The rabbit froze, her ears jerking out of her paws and standing straight up.

"I wasn't sure if I was remembering that properly, and I was hoping I wasn't, but I guess that actually did happen?" Nick nodded causing her to sigh heavily and drop her gaze. "So what was it she 'didn't do'?" She muttered, feeling she already knew the answer.

"Leave. She didn't leave until after we had knotted and you passed out." Standing from the bed, he moved behind her and started rubbing her tensed shoulders, feeling her melt back into him. "Look, Carrots. I know she's your friend, and I really have no problem with her. I kind of like her actually. She's fun and she makes you laugh. But last night...I don't know, Carrots. Getting caught with you doesn't bother me at all. I'm not going to hide our relationship, physical or otherwise. But she was _watching_ us last night."

She reached back and grasped his paw resting on her shoulder. "I'll talk to her. I'm sure she was just looking for me to ask about something and got a bit overwhelmed with what she was seeing. It happens to bunnies sometimes. Our bodies can get flooded with enough dopamine when we get aroused that we can actually freeze up. It's uncommon but possible." Giving him a sly grin, she pulled his paw to her lips, planting a kiss against his fur. "And I'm pretty sure what you were doing to me last night would have stunned the whole burrow."

Feeling slightly better, though still not very pleased, Nick took his bunny's paw and the two headed for breakfast. The fox's mind was still consumed with the issue of what to do with Trisha. There had been a few too many incidents recently for his taste. He did not mind helping her get out of the awful apartment she was in, though having her stay long term had been Judy's idea and not his. Sharing a den with someone not their mate was very difficult for a fox to do but out of respect to Judy he did not bring that fact up, choosing to ignore it for the time being. In a very short time since then they had already had to deal with her making messes while they were at work, coming home to find her sleeping naked in the living room, even licking his mate's ear to see if it would force her to have sex with him, something which she had told Trisha was out of her control already. Nick really couldn't say much about that though, as that morning had been terrifically satisfying. Spying on them having sex though was a bit more serious. He could throw Judy on the dining room table a few floors above him and have his way with her in front of her parents and wouldn't even blink, but that was a conscious act on their part. Being spied on though. It felt wrong somehow.

At the junction between the guest hall and the main corridor, neither of them were surprised to see the brown bunny waiting for them. She seemed a bit antsy, bouncing on the balls of her feet which only increased as she spotted them heading her direction. Practically rushing to them, Trisha came to a halt so quickly she nearly fell over. Pushing past the vulpine, she grasped Judy's free paw. "Judy. I need to talk to you."

"Well good morning to you too, Petals." Nick didn't really feel slighted at being ignored. He could tell Trisha was slightly distressed and didn't fault her for bypassing him, but he couldn't resist 'poking the bear' so to speak, mentally apologizing to several of his bear friends and the polar bears at the Precinct. Mr. Big's polar bears didn't get the same apology although he did make a side note to compliment Kevin next time he saw him as a universe appeasement.

Trisha shot him a glare, reminding the todd her hatred of that nickname. "I'm sorry, Judy but this can't wait. It's really important." A little concerned, the gray bunny met her mate's bright green eyes and shrugged.

"Head on up to breakfast, sweetie. I'll join you shortly." Turning back to her friend, she led her to the closest room to find a chair to sit her down. Nick watched them go for several seconds before heading up the main hallway, praying he didn't get lost among the many branches of tunnels.

Which of course went unanswered as he did get lost. Several times. He hadn't spent enough time in the burrows to really know his way around and the past several trips he had always been led by Judy. Thankfully, after finding himself walking in circles, having passed the living room twice, a few of the younger kits had found him. Looking to be around three or four years old, they asked if he was trying to reach the kitchen for breakfast, he assured them he was indeed lost and trying to find his way towards what must be a delicious breakfast waiting for all of them, the kits grabbed his paws and led him through a few more twisting tunnels until they finally emerged into a large room. The many windows let in sunlight to bathe the hundreds of rabbits all seated at the massive wooden table in front of him.

"Grandma, look! We caught a fox!"  
"He was lost. But we found him."  
"Can we keep him, Grandma Bonnie?"  
"Is he Aunt Judy's fox?"  
"Does that make him our uncle?"

Luckily for both the older doe and the fox in question, the mothers of the kits got up and wrangled them away, apologizing profusely to the guest. Assuring them there was no harm done, Nick gave them a smile, making sure not to flash his teeth. He knew Judy and her parents, and a few others like Jessica did not mind his fangs, but he wasn't sure how the little ones would react and didn't want to scare anyone.

"So, I take it not all the young'uns around here are yours, huh _grandma_ -OW!" Bonnie had swiftly moved up next to Nick and gave him a firm whack on the head with her wooden spoon. Most of the small kits laughed heartily, even a few of the older siblings joining in.

"No. I'm afraid my last litter was some years ago." Bonnie seemed to have mixed feelings about that. True she was getting up in age where raising kits was a very demanding job, one that her body would not be fit for in a few more years, but she also seemed a little upset by that fact.

Stu chimed in, sitting a few spots down from the todd. "Now it's our kits turn to have their own families. They...they..." Recognizing the signs the old buck was showing, Nick moved farther away, putting space between him and the overly emotional buck, not wanting his shirt to be one latched onto as a handkerchief. Apparently it was something that happened quite often as the rabbits near him moved away as well, giving him a good deal of space. Bonnie, without even glancing in her husband's direction, tossed a towel his way with practiced ease which he immediately latched onto and began wiping tears and blowing his nose.

Leaving him to it, Nick turned back to the table to see what sort of meal they were serving for breakfast, only becoming a little discouraged. Boiled cabbage wasn't exactly something that would go down easily for him. He liked vegetables well enough, but greens were pushing it. Thankfully there were a few other options. Loading his plate up with toast and strawberry preserves as well as a few carrots and even an ear of corn, he found himself surprised to find vegetables he knew didn't grow in winter, and he asked as much from the farmers.

"Oh that. We have greenhouses we use to grow necessary vegetables year round. It's quite an achievement, honestly. We're the only burrow that's been able to make them work with such success." He gripped his overall tight with pride, a smug look on his face that told Nick exactly how much that success meant to him.

"They must be very large to produce enough food to feed the family." Nick bit into a carrot, noticing how crisp and tasty it was. Definitely something freshly grown. He also didn't fail to to notice the odd looks he was receiving from most of the table as he chewed the orange vegetable. "They have some greenhouses in Zootopia, but those are mainly for flowers and they're rather large. I can't imagine what it is for crops."

Stu waved his paw in dismissal. "It's not that big, honestly. I think the largest one is only about two thousand feet by four hundred." Halfway through spreading jam on his toast, Nick's knife suddenly clattered to the table. All intentions of keeping his teeth from the kits went out the window as his jaw hung open, Stu's words having completely stupefied the vulpine.

"T-two _thousand_? Stu, that's bigger than probably every greenhouse is Savannah Central combined! That's a massive achievement. I just...I honestly can't even fathom that." The fox fell into silence. Stu looked even prouder than possible while Bonnie seemed a little concerned with how Nick was acting but left him to it, figuring it was better for him that way.

Judy entered the kitchen only minutes later followed by Trisha. The brown doe gave everyone a meek 'hello' and a wave before continuing out the door. Judy took a seat next to her fox and began loading up on veggies and boiled cabbage. Noting the silence coming from her mate, she turned to see him just gazing at his toast, unmoving. Looking over at her father, seeing the pleased smile on his face, she rolled her eyes. "You told him about the greenhouses, didn't you?"

* * *

Nick looked down at the long stick in his paw. It was rather thick and was curved in several places. There were numerous carvings in the wood, everything from abstract symbols to names. It was well worn from use and age, though the area his paw reached was still relatively untouched which made sense. It's a was a beautiful walking stick and would normally be something Nick would admire. However, these weren't normal circumstances. "I thought you were joking about hiking!"

Sending a hardened glance in his direction, Judy shrugged on a large pack and grabbed her own, somewhat shorter, walking stick. "I never joke about exercise. You should know that by now. And especially not through those woods. It's beautiful through there. Now, grab your bag and let's go. I want to be back for lunch. There's this nice little outdoor cafe in town we didn't get a chance to see last time." She set off down an imaginary path with confidence, seemingly knowing exactly where she wanted to go.

Grumbling to himself, loud enough to make sure she heard him, the todd gathered up his own pack. Luckily as they weren't going to be gone long, it wasn't all that heavy, mainly full of a few survival tools for emergencies and a grab bag full of a few protein bars and water bottles. Not feeling the need to use the walking stick, Nick slung it over his back, tucking it into the pack's straps. He imagined it looked like a bō staff making him Donatello, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Tapir. It had been one of his favorite shows when he was younger and would always run around pretending to beat up the bad guys. Finnick would usually join him as well but wouldn't play as anyone but Raphael, the angry tapir's attitude being more his style.

Using his long strides, he quickly caught up to his mate though he was still completely lost on where they were headed. She seemed to be going in a completely straight line, one which was taking them directly into what used to be a crop field. Their feet made imprints in the soil, illuminating their path for all to see if necessary. Or maybe if they got lost. The field was enormous and after several minutes of walking they still had not crossed to the other side. The house though had steadily gotten smaller until he could no longer see it. If he didn't have a guide, he could easily get turned around regardless of his own prints behind him.

After what felt like another half mile, they finally emerged from the bare soil onto a solid patch of grass. Falling to his knees, Nick kissed the blades swaying from the gentle breeze sweeping across the fields. He suddenly felt much more optimistic about their hike until he raised his head and watched as his mate stepped into another empty crop field about fifty feet away. "Nooooo... Why?!" For the next half a mile Nick kept a constant stream of annoying questions, partly because he was bored and partly because he was miserable and wanted someone else to be miserable too.

"Are we out yet?"  
"No."  
"How about now?"  
"No."  
"How long until we're out of this field?"  
"Depends on if you keep dragging your feet."  
"Are we going to die out here?"  
"You will if you don't shut up!"  
"Sorry..."  
"It's alright, I am too."  
"...Are we out yet?"  
"GAH!"

Luckily for the vulpine, Judy did not need to murder him as the fields soon gave way to grassy hills and sparse trees. While Nick was just happy to finally be on ground and no longer walking on dirt, his bunny was taking the time to breathe in the smell of untouched nature, climbing steadily up the hill to the view just beyond the peak. Finding himself lagging behind as his body fought against the uphill walk, Nick gave in and slid the stick from it's spot on his back and used it to ascend to where his mate stood. He had to admit it was much easier walking with the stick and decided against returning it to his pack for the remainder of the day. _Besides,_ he told himself, _I can always be Donatello getting ready to do battle!_ Judy would probably laugh and then record him talking like that and maybe doing a few practice moves for blackmail purposes so he refrained from giving her an advantage.

Finally reaching the top, he bent over breathing a little heavy but otherwise still standing. He was in excellent physical shape after all of his police training and on the job workouts, but he was still rather tired from not getting enough sleep, nor was their breakfast particularly sustaining. Straightening, her stood next to Judy and gazed in wonder at the sight below him.

What looked like an untouched wilderness lay in front of them. A wide stream, part of a larger river further up the valley, trickled among a rocky bed. A large meadow filled with wildflowers stretched for what seemed like miles until ending at the edge of a very idyllic forest. All of it was bathed in mid-morning sun providing them with a gorgeous view. Suddenly the hike seemed like a much better idea to the fox who took a moment to breathe in the fresh air. Though they had been outside all morning, it truly didn't feel the same when they were traipsing through some dead crops.

Judy was captivated by what she saw as well. It had been a long time since she had walked this particular path but now that she was, it was made even better by having her fox next to her. Hearing him breathe in deep, she turned to see a small but happy smile gracing his handsome muzzle.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Carrots. The view is really beautiful." He looked down at her, a sly grin having replaced his sincere one. "And the landscape isn't half bad either." It took her a second to understand what he meant but the blush soon spread along her ears while she averted her gaze.

"Sappy fox." Giving him a light tap, she continued on down the hill leaving the todd chuckling behind her. Adjusting his pack so it felt more comfortable on his shoulders, Nick followed her into the meadow. While their passage was mostly in silence, it was not empty. The two mates never really needed words to convey the enjoyment of each other's company, although they wouldn't turn down a little banter back and forth. Judy could do without Nick's relatively dirty jokes but at least they usually made her laugh.

"What do you get if a ram mates with a cow?"

Clapping her paw to her face, Judy tried to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "Do I really need to answer?"

"Do you need to answer? Yes. Yes you do."

She could sense the smugness oozing from him and tried to conceal a smile, knowing it would only encourage him. "Okay, fine. I don't know. What do you get when a ram mates with a cow?"

"A kid in a baaaaaad mooooood." Judy burst out laughing, clutching her stick to keep from falling to the ground. Watching his mate practically collapsing with mirth made Nick chuckle outwardly but inwardly he beamed. One of his favorite things to do besides tease his rabbit was to make her laugh. Her smile was infectious and her joy even more so.

"S-stop it, Nick!" Judy barely managed to choke out her words around her laughter. "At this r-rate I'll be out of breath before we even get through the woods."

"Does this mean we should just turn back and go to the burrow?" Nick asked hopefully. While he enjoyed the view and loved spending time with his bunny, he really wouldn't mind heading back for a bit more shut eye or maybe lounge in the shady hammock overlooking the pond.

Narrowing her eyes, Judy reached over and grabbed his shirt, hauling him down to her. "Listen here, fox. I'm going on this hike. It's been _years_ since I've done this and my _mate_ is going to join me." Angrily pressing her lips to his, she mashed them together nearly bruising the vulpine. "Understand me, Wilde?"

Smacking his lips together more to get the feeling back in them than anything else, he gave her a hungry look. "Oh I definitely understand." Leaning forward he whispered gently into her ear. "I understand perfectly, Officer Wilde." Feeling a shiver run through her body, he ran his tongue up the side of her ear, making sure to pay extra attention to the black tip.

Closing her eyes, Judy shuddered hard before snapping them back open and shoving the todd away. "Damn you, Nick. That's gonna bother me the whole day and I know you know that." Seeing the sudden mischievous glint in her eye, the fox grew afraid for what was about to happen, most likely to him. "And just for that little stunt of yours, we're gonna be picking up the pace, and you're not going to say a thing about it. Are you?" A quick shake of his orange furred head was all she needed. "Great, let's go."

* * *

They had taken their time in the forest, Judy pointing out all the sights she had discovered during her forays into the wilderness during her childhood, against her parents wishes obviously. Nick was not much of an outdoorsmammal unless they were counting the years he spent being homeless or the various cons he pulled in the Meadowlands and Rainforest Districts, but he found himself quite enjoying the trip. As usual, Judy's enthusiasm seeped into him and his body turned it into his own. Unfortunately said enthusiasm did not equal knowledge. The fox had nearly poisoned himself as he gave into his hunger and tried to eat some of the berries growing in bunches along the path, having them smacked out of his paw by a panicky rabbit. After being berated for almost a third of the way through the woods, Nick had decided that on their way back he would stay silent and instead focus on what his mate was saying.

"Oh Nick! C'mon this way. This is one of my favorite spots." When Judy got passionate about something, whether it being about a case or simply an episode of one of their favorite television shows, it was hard for Nick to deny her anything. Her unbridled curiosity and determination was one of her best qualities, although at times it could be her worst such as the drug deal they were supposed to be monitoring and she instead tried to nab them all herself, not knowing she was walking into an eight on one situation. They had certainly got their exercise that night, the two of them barely able to get away.

"Your wish is my command, Princess Carrots." Turning back, she gave him a playful smirk before running back at him and launching herself into his arms.

"Very well, servant. Carry me to the river so that I may bask in its glorious beauty." Now it was Nick's turn to smirk, though he added an eyeroll to his. He followed her convoluted directions that he was certain she was giving just to make him carry her further. "Right between those trees right there. No, there. There! Jeez Nick, how did you pass the Academy tests if you are _this_ blind."

"I'll have you know I passed all of my physicals, especially vision. These sly fox eyes are as good as ever." Moving towards the area she had indicated, Nick bounced her in his arms for fun, making her giggle and clutch her arms around his neck a bit more securely.

"Uh-huh. So where you hiding your glasses, grandpa?"

"I'm not hiding any glasses, Carrots. I left them on the nightstand by accident." They shared a laugh at the todd's expense though Nick didn't mind at all. Anything to hear that beautiful and cute giggle escape from her was worth it. It was especially great if he made her laugh hard enough to snort. He had several video recordings of said events but his mate knew about none of them. He knew she didn't because his phone remained in one piece.

"Here! This is it!" Excited, Judy hopped down from Nick's arms and headed between the small group of trees directly in front of them. It had been a long time since she had seen them, but she knew those trees no matter how tall they were, nor how old they may become. She had spent many, _many_ days traveling along this path and had memorized every inch of the area.

Not wanting to be kept out of the fun, Nick quickly followed. Judy had an advantage pushing through the branches, only having to touch a few of them to pass the tree line. Being twice her size, the fox had a bit more difficulty. He ended up with a few scratches and whipped more than once from the branches slipping past his paws. Finally emerging, the first thing he spotted was his mate's poofy tail happily wiggling, her ears laid along her back in excitement. Moving up behind her, he let his gaze travel past to see they were on a small cliff, a mighty river flowing beneath them, crashing over the rocks creating foaming white water.

Feeling his arms wrap around her, she laid her head back into him, grabbing his paws to wrap them tighter. "When I was little, I used to come and sit right here and dangle my legs over the side. I never told my parents cause I knew they would probably go berserk." Nick chuckled, remembering how overprotective Stu was. "It was the power of the river that drew me here. To see something that we used to irrigate the farm. To drink and keep us healthy. To bathe in. I saw something calm that possessed such potential to be something far more. To be stronger than what most saw it as." Leaning down, Nick nuzzled the top of his mate's head. Lolling his tongue out, he gave her a few quick licks making her sigh in appreciation. "Obviously you see where I'm going with this."

"Yeah, but I'd like to hear it anyways." Reaching her paw up, Judy stroked her fox's cheek lovingly before continuing.

"This was one of my inspirations. Whenever someone told me I could never be something else, could never achieve my dream, I would come here and prove to myself that just because you can't see something or some _one's_ potential, doesn't mean it's not there. This river started a long time ago as a trickle from the mountain over there. And now it's a raging power of it's own. 'Why can't I be like that river,' I would ask myself. And it was that thought that drove me to become the officer I am today. Because just like the river that started out as merely a few drops moving through the rocks, I don't know when to quit."

They stood there for a few minutes, enjoying the company of the other with nary a sound coming from them. Nick was having a very difficult time not saying something snarky as was his nature, but the importance of the moment to his mate allowed him to hold his tongue. Eventually though it was time to move on. Judy had a few more things she wanted to show Nick and they were already behind schedule if they wanted to make it to lunch at the cafe.

Grabbing his paw, she led him up the cliff's edge rather than taking them back through the trees, something he was thoroughly grateful for, not looking forward to being thwacked again by devilish branches. It also allowed them to see more of the river which Nick had to admit was very impressive. It followed a meandering course and several times moved beyond their site, but it was always within earshot, the rushing water over the rocks nearly deafening at times.

Suddenly though, Judy had stopped, her ears quivering and turning to and fro. "Carrots? What is it?" Turning and putting her paw to her lips, she shushed him, waving her paw telling him to follow her into a thin line of trees directly ahead. At any other time in Nick's past, it would have seemed weird and rather creepy to be moving through the woods as silent as possible, sneaking up on unsuspecting mammals, but after going through stealth training in the Academy and a follow-up course at the precinct, moving silently was now almost second nature. Nearing the edge of the treeline, both mammals stopped, trying to get the best vantage point they could. What they saw was surprising, although Nick felt it really shouldn't have been.

In a small clearing overlooking another section of the cliff they had been walking along themselves, sat two mammals on the grass. Mammals that they both recognized. Sitting on a checkered blanket with a basket beside them, it looked like the postcard for a summertime picnic. It may have been winter but the weather in Bunnyburrow was almost always mild and indeed it was sunny and fairly warm that day, though not without a stiff breeze. Leaned back, a brown doe with bright blue eyes was resting on her elbows, gazing at the view of the mountain range surrounding them, though her eyes kept returning to the second mammal beside her.

It was a jolt to Judy's system to see her sister Sarah out here. She was one of the only rabbits who knew of Judy's secret spot, the gray bunny having brought her several times as a child when Sarah was dealing with the bullying from their siblings so it wouldn't have surprised her to run into her sister up here. But with someone? That was something she never would have expected in a hundred years. She had seen some of the signs last night, she'd have been blind not to. But things seemed to be progressing quickly. Stargazing near a festival was something she knew Sarah liked to do. It made her feel closer to other mammals even if she wasn't included. Sharing that experience with Trisha had seemed odd to the gray bunny, but maybe they had become friends during Trisha's time here. _God knows she could use a friend_. Though a picnic in the middle of a forest glade overlooking one of the most beautiful spots she had ever seen in Bunyburrow? No, that was definitely not just being friendly.

Nick and Judy crept closer, keeping to the tree line as much as possible to avoid being spotted. They took extreme care not to brush any leaves or step on any twigs, not wanting to reveal their presence. The sight of the two was intriguing to Judy. She had never seen her sister acting with anyone like this in her entire life. It was not a bad thing, in fact Judy praised the fact that Trisha had not been raised in the country and was able to see past Sarah's fur discoloration. If her gut feeling was right though, this was becoming much more than a friendship and she was not exactly sure how she felt about that.

Her mate had other concerns on his mind. He had grown very fond of the quad-color bunny and wanted to make sure Trisha did not hurt her. He knew enough about the brown bunny to know that while she was quirky and had a bad habit of pushing buttons she wasn't a bad mammal, though Nick really couldn't fault her for that having done the same far too often. She was actually very nice and he had never heard of a single time she had ever hurt someone in any way. Feeling a paw along his back. Nick turned to see Judy pressing a digit to her lips. They had gotten close enough that the two does voices were quite clear.

"This is quite beautiful, Sundae." Nick found himself putting up another point in Trisha's corner each time he heard her say Sarah's nickname with obvious sincerity. It was something he knew the younger doe enjoyed which made it all the more special when someone other than himself called her that.

"Isn't it though? Judy used to bring me here when we were little. It was so peaceful. Nobody else ever came up here." Fondly looking over at the cliff, she smiled softly at memories long since past. "We used to dangle our feet over the edge and watch the roaring water. After Judy...well...after she got really involved in school work trying to become a cop, we didn't come up here that much anymore." Her voice had dropped as had Judy's spirit in that moment. She didn't think anything could hurt more at that moment but then Sarah continued. "I used to escape up here when my siblings would chase me from the house and sometimes even the farm. They didn't want to be seen with me or even be reminded I e-...I ex-..." Sniffling, Sarah tried to stifle her tears, wiping her paw across her eyes rapidly. She gave up as she felt the warm embrace of another bunny next to her. One with shining blue eyes filling with her own tears.

Watching the two bunnies holding each other, one consoling, one needing to be consoled, the two mammals at the edge of the wood decided they had intruded enough and silently retreated out to the main path. They both felt a bit guilty in assuming Trisha might hurt Sarah, even if by accident, when it seemed quite the opposite. It was more than enough for the two of them to process as they made their way to the base of the cliff side, the desire to hike no longer being in either of them.

* * *

"I feel like an ass."

"Well, at least you're a cute ass." Nick's pitiful attempt at humor gained him nothing more than a glare from his mate, her purple eyes narrowed and angry. Realizing this was one of the times he was going a bit too far, he returned his attention to the tuna salad sandwich in front of him. The cafe Judy had picked out for lunch was rather an enjoyable spot. The outdoor tables allowed them to appreciate the sun and the warmth.

"Did we really have the right to go prying? I mean it's my sister and my best friend! I should be happy that they want to spend time together. And maybe it's not even romantic. It could just be Sarah looking for a close friend. Besides me and a few of the ones who accepted her in high school she doesn't have that many. Maybe a few at college, but I don't know anything about them. She may have a boyfriend for all I know." Looking up, she watched her fox slowly chewing his sandwich while looking down at his plate. "Nick are you even listening to me?"

Swallowing his current mouthful, Nick ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth, careful to get all remnant of the sandwich clear before speaking. "I heard every word, Carrots."

"And?"

"And I think we need to stay out of it. Sundae's a big girl, she can handle herself. Plus we know that Trisha is not going to hurt her. Nuh-uh!" He scolded when she went to deny it. "We both were afraid that Sundae was gonna get hurt and I think that's less to do with Trisha and more just cautious about how fragile we think your sister is. But we have to face the reality that maybe we're just being overprotective. She is an adult and we need to let her take chances. Now, you are right that we don't know exactly what's happening, but we also need to face the probability that it is _exactly_ what we're thinking. The real question, the one I asked you last night, is do you have a problem with it if that is indeed the case?"

Judy quickly went to respond only to find she had nothing to say. Did she have a problem with it? What was at the root of her indecision? Was it the idea she could lose her sister and her best friend? That was ludicrous. They wouldn't simply break off their relationships with her simply because they started dating. In fact it may actually strengthen them. Was it the issue with a same sex relationship? Again, it was ludicrous. She herself was mated to a pred, her species' natural enemy in fact. There could be nothing more taboo than that. And she was close friends with another same sex couple so that wasn't it either. What was her issue with it?

_Maybe it has to do with what you are to the two of them._

_What? What does that mean?_

_You've always been Sarah's protector, the one she could always rely on. And now she might have found someone else. Maybe you feel a little bit jealous from it._

_That's-...No, that's just ridiculous._

_And what about Trisha? She's become such a close friend but she also has been relying on you for a familial connection, one she never got to experience. And now she's going to have that in someone new. Maybe you like having others be reliant on you after having to be so reliant on Nick for your very survival._

_I...suppose that's possible..._

_So the question remains. Is there a legitimate reason why you should be against their potential happiness?_

Judy's face lit up, her lips curling into a strong smile as she looked at her mate, the flame of her enthusiasm shining once more in her eyes. "I don't have a problem with it at all. I want them to be happy. They _deserve_ to be happy and I'm going to be the first one to congratulate them if they do become a couple."

"Now _that's_ the bunny I love." Nick's own muzzle was graced with a proud smile. "Now give me a kiss before we start questioning why I'm the one with the good advice right now." Giggling, Judy leaned in and granted his request letting their lips linger together for a few seconds before separating and resuming their meal.

Suddenly a voice cut through their moment. "Judy Hopps. Well I can't believe it. You're back in Bunnyburrow." Judy closed her eyes, recognizing the voice.

_Please don't be Kevin. Please don't be Kevin. Please don't be- "_ Kevin." Plastering a fake smile on her face, she turned toward a buck sidling up along their table. "How have you been?"

"Oh I'm much better now that you're here, beautiful." Sending a wink and a smile her way, Judy had to fight to keep from throwing up. She had not seen this particular mammal is several years, and she was all the happier for it. The buck was a representation of one of a few memories she would be more than happy to have scrubbed from her mind, the experience having been nothing short of one of the most miserable nights of her life.

Turning to her mate, she attempted to hasten the process of getting rid of the pest standing next to their table. "Nick Wilde, this is Kevin Stone. We went to highschool together. Kevin this is my m-"

"Yes, yes. I'm sure he's very important for some reason or another. Now get going, _fox._ Me and the lady have some business to attend to." Normally Nick wouldn't take that laying down. A speciest mammal attempting to move in on his mate was not something he was going to just let happen. However, he had seen the murderous look in his bunny's eyes and stayed back, but close enough to stop her from destroying the foolish buck if necessary. "You know, I was just thinking about our night together the other day, Judy. What a great time we had." The gray rabbit looked apologetically at her mate, having hoped he would never have to hear the fact that her first time had not been with him. "We had something special that night my dear."

"Kevin, we went to prom together because my sisters told me to ask someone out and you were the last buck in our class. We only had sex because I wanted to experiment with the idea having heard all this stuff from my siblings. It lasted all of thirty seconds and was fairly disappointing. Not to mention you fell asleep almost immediately and I was forced to walk home. I don't know what kind of 'evening' you remember, but it must have been on a different day with a different girl. Who you also probably disappointed." A barking laugh from across the table had the embarrassed buck whipping around to glare at the fox who was now slapping his knee in hilarity.

"The hell are you laughing at, _fox?_ Thought I told you to beat it." Nick couldn't even manage a smirk, his face still forming a muzzle full of laughter. Eventually they calmed into some light chuckling, though he still threatened to spill over whenever he was reminded of Judy's little tear down.

"I'm laughing at an inadequate rabbit trying, and _failing,_ to pick up an old high school prom date that was apparently forced to go with you." Wiping a tear from his eye, the vulpine chuckled a few more time. "Carrots, this is too rich. I can't believe you made yourself go through with it."

Judy sheepishly shrugged, her ears slightly pink. "Yeah, it was a bad idea. I actually spend a few weeks investigating if time travel was possible so I could go back and erase that night from existence. Sadly it was not. Well, not _yet_ anyway. I'm still working on it." She glanced down, peering at him through her lashes, embarrassed at what had just been revealed. "You're not mad are you? About not being my first?"

This time, Nick's smirk was in full view, the humor reaching his eyes. "Honestly, Fluff, after hearing all that, I'm pretty sure I still count as your first." Both of them started laughing, ignoring the buck who seemed to becoming more enraged by the second.

"Wait. You slept with a _fox_?" The venom in his voice was impossible to miss and it caused Judy to immediately stop laughing and narrow her eyes on him. If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was someone disrespecting her mate.

"I'm mated with him, you jackass. My name is Judy _Wilde,_ not Hopps. And don't you dare insult my fox." She could feel her blood beginning to boil, her patience nearly at it's end. Paws that had remained calm and relaxed suddenly were clenched hard enough that even her stubby claws were cutting into her palms. Nick noticed a slight twitching in her upper thigh, something that usually happened before she lost control. He could have stopped her, but he decided to let it play out, only planning to stop her if it went too far.

"Your fox? Your _fox_? My god, Judy. You truly are pathetic. First your crazy cop idea and now you mated yourself to that _pelt_? Why not just whore yourself out on the side of the street." Slapping his paw on the table, he stood and sneered at her. "Probably fucked every pred in that damn city, didn't you? Must have, if you were forced to settle for some nasty ass fox." Nick was quickly becoming enraged by the insults to his mate but it was Judy that stood first.

The swift fist came faster than the buck could prepare himself for, the blow landing on the underside of his chin, rocking him back. A second straight punch caught him square in the face making him fall onto his ass, blood dripping from his nose. Clutching his smashed face, the buck could only whimper from the pain, barely noticing the ever increasing trail of blood seeping between his digits. Gazing up at the frighteningly calm rabbit that had just knocked him down, the buck stammered fearfully. "Th-th- that's police brutality!"

"Actually we're both suspended right now. So it's just plain old brutality." Turning back to the table, she sat back down and looked at her mate. "Your turn, sweetie." Nick got up from his seat and slowly walked towards the terrified and bleeding buck, cracking the knuckles on his paws. His hackles were raised and his lips curled up, baring his fangs in a low snarl. The sight was enough to cause the buck to soil himself before making a few quick hops away from the todd before turning it into a full-on run.

The pair looked at each other and began laughing extremely hard before continuing with their lunch, no longer fearing any interruptions.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon progressed smoothly. There was a surprising lack of mammals verbally attacking them over their relationship, though they figured it would be a different experience at the festival. They had decided against going for the last day, preferring to simply spend their day in each other's company in relative peace and quiet. Nick wished they had had more time the day before, especially to go on the rides some more and also check out a few of the games, but it was important to Judy that they spend their remaining time with their family.

The ring from Nick's cell phone interrupted a conversation they were having about a case they had needed to abandon after being suspended. The two may be off work, but that didn't stop them from working. That was something the old Nick would despise about his current self but he really didn't care what Old Nick would say. He was a cop and there truly was no 'time-off' for them, even when suspended.

Checking the ID, he was a little surprised to see it was from Finnick. He hadn't seen hide nor tail of the small fox since he and Jessica had gone for a walk near the festival gates. Showing it to Judy, she seemed as perplexed as he was. She too had not seen Jessica for the last day. Keying the 'accept call' icon, Nick put it up to his ear. "Fin, buddy. What's going on?"

" _Nick. Need you to get down to the park in the center of town ASAP."_

Glancing at his mate, he confirmed she had heard the other end of the conversation. "What's going on?"

_"We're gonna pull an old high-school hustle."_ Judy frowned at the implications of that statement and was thoroughly displeased by her fox's sudden enthusiasm, his tail wagging frantically.

"You don't mean..."

" _Damn straight I do. I figure the two of them wouldn't mind after what you told me happened last time."_

"Did you get a couple others?"

_"No Wilde. I figured the two of us could handle it by ourselves. Of course I got others. Now get your tail over here."_ With that the line went dead and he turned his excited face towards the gray bunny, only for his expression to droop at her disappointed look.

"Carrots? What's the matter?"

"A 'high-school hustle', Nick? Really?" Realization suddenly dawned on him. She had heard the other side of the conversation but did not understand the context. He and Fin had worked for so long together that their communication was of a different sort. While he and Judy might nearly read each others minds, the two foxes had developed a short-paw speech that they could use on the fly if necessary.

"It's not what you think, Carrots. C'mon, we'll go the park. Everything will make more sense." She fixed him with a suspicious glare, not moving from her spot. "You don't trust me, Fluff?" While his tone was playful, inside it actually stung a bit at the insinuation that she was thinking that of him after all their time together. How he had changed.

Judy had grown far too used to her fox to miss the obvious signs even he didn't know about himself. A slight flicker in his eye made her heart break as she realized how much she had hurt him in that moment. Stepping up, she wrapped her arms around his and gazed up at him lovingly. "Of course I trust you, sweetie, I just worry about you sometimes. That I'm not enough to keep you from going back to your old ways."

Now it was Nick's turn to feel like a heel. "Hey." Putting his paw on her cheek, he ran his thumb over the soft fur. "Nothing will make me go back to that life. You changed me, Carrots. For the better. And I would never disappoint you." The sincerity in his voice had the doe crying softly, overwhelmed with emotion. Nick patted her back and rubbed between her ears but had to slowly pry her off. "Carrots? We kind of have to go if we're gonna meet Finnick."

Wiping her paw across her eyes and sniffling hard, she nodded quickly. "Right, right. Emotional bunny, right? Yeah, let's go." Perking up, she remembered who had been following the fennec around for the past day. "Jessica's probably there right now! I haven't talked to her this whole trip." Starting into her signature bounce step, she made her way briskly to the center of town, leaving an amused red fox jogging to catch up. _These mood swings are ridiculous. I wonder if all bunnies are that way?_

"Yo Nick! Over here!" The loud booming voice from the deceptively small fennec met them as they entered the park. The two mammals made their way over to what looked like a makeshift platform in front of the park fountain. Judy wasn't sure why the fountain had a fish on top of it and nobody had ever been able to explain it. It remained a minor mystery, one that no one cared enough about to solve, so there it sat. The Bunnyburrow Fish Fountain. But now, the area had been laid out with several wooden boards screwed together with industrial strength plywood supported on top. Wires and power cords ran around and down the backside heading off into the bushes. But it was what set on top of the boards that held Judy's attention.

A polished deep red bass guitar sat propped in a holder to the left of the makeshift 'stage' as Judy now realized. Next to the bass and slightly in front stood a matte black six string hooked up to a wire that led to what she could now tell was an amp hidden under a blanket. Looking over to the eagerly grinning fox, Judy was suddenly ecstatic. She was going to get to see Nick play again. Something he hadn't been given a chance to do since the last time they were in Bunnyburrow. Quickly scanning the rest of the stage, she saw a mic stand, a set of vibrant green drums, and what appeared to be a bench for a keyboard, though a lawn chair sat next to it. _Really is a spontaneous band event._

Nick gave Fin a fist bump before climbing up on stage. The two of them started fiddling with the instruments, making sure they were tuned properly and the cords were set. Judy, who stood watching her fox with admiration, did not hear the soft but excited paws behind her. "Judy! Oh my god, isn't this amazing?!"

Turning, the gray bunny was nearly knocked over by her near identical sister. Prying off the death grip her sister's arms had around her neck, she managed to give her a warm smile. "Hey Jessica. Yeah, it is pretty amazing. I didn't know Finnick could play."

"Oh he totally can play," Jessica beamed brightly. "He played for me over MuzzleTime last week. Sang to me and everything." She started swaying, humming 'Wonderful Tonight'.

"Finnick...sang?!" Out of everything she had seen that entire weekend, nothing shocked her more than those two words. She looked over at the small fox. She knew he had a bigger heart than he normally showed to others, seeming to have a soft spot for both Nick and herself, but with Jessica he seemed to be becoming a completely different mammal.

"Oh yes. He actually has a very good voice. He had an acoustic guitar and I tell you it was so beautiful. He's really a lot more than just the sex god I originally took him for." Jessica smirked heavily as Judy slapped two paws over her ears, loving the power she held over her sister.

"Oh god. Jessica, don't tell me things like that. I really don't need to know that about Finnick. I still have to see him on occasion." That wasn't exactly true. The most interaction they had had in weeks was the trip down to Bunnyburrow. Her and Nick sometimes passed by him on patrol and they would give him a friendly wave which he usually ignored or responded with a jerk of his head. Finnick still refused Nick's offer to come to the apartment to watch the games or enjoy a good unhealthy dinner. And the trips Nick would take to see him led him through some rather unsavory places that he did not want her traveling through.

The booming of a bass guitar echoed across the park, the rumble of the amplifier causing Judy's and Jessica's ears to vibrate. It was almost amusing to see the tiny fox holding such a large instrument, but with a practiced flair, Finnick handled the instrument like a pro. His paws slid up and down the strings with determination before stopping and adjusting the tune. The two does looked at each other with Jessica grinning like a fool as her boyfriend kept messing with the strings.

From the side came a few familiar looking mammals. Two rabbits climbed up on stage. One grabbed the guitar and strung it over his neck. The other pulled a microphone from the pile of cords and slid it in the stand. The third mammal, a cougar, took his place at the bench and laid a keyboard onto it. He cracked his knuckles, freeing up the tension. "Aren't those the guys from the band we saw last time? 'Hare Raisers' I think?"

Jessica nodded. "Yep. They were here this weekend visiting family for the festival. I recognized them and brought my Teddy Bear over to meet them which he wasn't all that ecstatic to do. But after he found out they were a band it became a little easier for them to interact. When they said two of their members couldn't make it home, Finnick suggested he and Nick could fill in for an impromptu show. The park was free so here we are!"

Judy looked back on stage to see Finnick climbing on a chair to reach the top strings better while Nick slid into place behind the drums, looking incredibly comfortable. _I still need to learn how he got so good with the drums._ Watching him spin the sticks casually while holding a conversation with the band impressed the other members and Judy herself, the action looking complex and very difficult to do. Finnick merely looked over and scoffed, rolling his eyes before returning to adjusting the bass, though Judy could see a slight smile tugging at the fennec's lip.

By this time many mammals had started to gravitate towards the fountain, drawn in by the loud music from Finnick's tuning. The crowd then drew in more from the street, wondering what the occasion was. However, no one cared once the first notes came from the group. The vocalist came to the mic and said a few words. "We've got a couple visiting mammals to our fair Bunnyburrow this weekend, and as a thank you for showing them a good time they've decided to put on a show for all of us. Hit it!"

Finnick's small paws sprang into action, strumming out deep chords into the intro.

[Another One Bites the Dust - Queen]

The crowd gathered around them went wild at the finale. A lot of them had begun dancing to the music, making use of the vast open space. For an impromptu concert, the music was really good and it thrilled the audience.

For two gray does in front it was even more special, as Judy watched her mate perform with a fluid grace and Jessica got to see her boyfriend strut his paws along the thick neck of the bass. Both of them felt really hot from seeing their two todds rocking out. Without waiting, the group jumped right into the next song, one that both does recognized as having a certain bit of irony attached.

[Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who]

The song, which must have been exhausting to the band, had stirred up the crowd to near deafening levels. Judy would not be surprised to see the sheriff show up to see about a noise complaint, but it seemed as if the shops and other bystanders appreciated the performance as much as they did. Jessica and her sister exchanged knowing glances figuring it was definitely one of their foxes who had suggested the song, though the safe money was on Nick. Taking only a moment to catch their breath, the band quickly regrouped before guitar chords streamed out from the stage.

[Back in Black - AC/DC]

"Oh my god, they're amazing!" Jessica was hopping up and down, her gaze fixed on the small fox to the left side of the stage. "Are we the luckiest does or what?!"

"Are we the luckiest does?" Gazing at the red fox, _her_ fox, she felt a great warmth spread throughout her chest. "Yes. Yes we are."

* * *

The rest of the afternoon had been a blur of music, dancing, and cheering. The band had gone on for over an hour until the singer had nearly lost his voice. Apologizing profusely for having to end the party, he was greeted with many cheers and applauds as were the rest of the band members. The visiting foxes from Zootopia, having been the reason for the impromptu party in the park, were given quite a rousing cheer as well.

Unfortunately not everyone was pleased when the two does rushed the stage to hug and kiss their respective significant others. While most of the crowd had not seemed to care, or in the case of several who were catcalling and teasing the pairs, quite a few had gone silent and left the park angrily. The celebration continued on for quite a while longer. The gathering had given friends and neighbors an excuse to correspond and catch up. Someone had produced a stereo and hooked up an iCarrotMini, determined to keep the music going.

It had been well past dinner by the time they all arrived back at the burrow but none of the couples felt overly hungry. They were looking forward to getting a full nights rest before the long trip back home in the morning, though they suspected Finnick would be a little tired as they watched Jessica all but carry him to her room.

"Those two really do seem to be hitting it off, huh Carrots?" Nick couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of his childhood friend being handled by a rabbit so effectively. He had a feeling that Jessica would end up being more than a match for the small fox but with the dopey grin on his face as he went soaring by it did not appear that Finnick was all that interested in competing. "I think your sister ruined my friend."

"Oh I'm sorry, sweetie. Do you want me to buy you another one? Where do they sell fox action figures?" The two exchanged smirks before Judy broke down and giggled at her own joke. "C'mon. Let's head to bed. We're driving in the a.m. and I'd prefer for at least one of us to not fall asleep on the way there."

"Hey. I have _never_ fallen asleep while driving." The gray rabbit stood and stared at him, brow raised and foot tapping the floor. "Okay, except that _one_ time. And the ZPD covered the cost anyways.

"That's not the point, Nick." They had resumed their way down the hall heading for the guest area. "The point is I don't want to die because my fox stayed up all night. So off to bed, bucko." The fox cocked his head, an amused smile on his muzzle.

"Bucko? What kind of name is bucko?"

Judy started to respond but no words came to her. "I really have no idea. I was just suddenly overcome with the urge to say it." Shrugging it off, she continued towards their room with her fox in tow. Tonight was going to be hard for the doe. What had started as a peaceful hike had turned into a whirlwind of emotions, reminders of the past in both good and bad memories. The entire day had been flipped upside down but just like always, her fox was there to pick up the pieces. It was one of the reasons she loved him so. Which made the idea of going to bed early such a miserable one. She knew that all it would take was a flick of her tail to get him going and they could continue well into the morning, but they couldn't afford to spend another day in Bunnyburrow and they would be far too tired to drive if they gave in. So it was with a mountain of regret that the bunny kept her tail still and resisted the urge to rub her body up and down his.

They had reached their door before Judy realized that they weren't entirely alone. Her ears were picking up muffled voices coming from the hall behind them. She had a feeling she knew what was happening and she sent Nick in first, before entering herself and quietly shutting the door, keeping it open enough for her to view the rest of the hall.

Her suspicions were soon confirmed at the sight of her brown furred friend slowly leading her multi-colored sister by the paw. The touch was gentle she noticed. Trisha was obviously taking great care to let Sarah make the decision for herself. Judy continued to watch as the two does reached Trisha's door. Watched as Trisha raised a paw to the trembling bunny's face. Watched as they brought their lips together softly. And watched as her best friend led her sister into her room.

Smiling, Judy closed the door and headed to bed, laying down next to her fox. She gazed at the ceiling, thoughts racing through her mind at what she just witnessed. She was happy for the two of them but also quite scared. They both were vulnerable and she was hoping they weren't rushing too fast. In the end, she wanted them to be happy. _Be careful, you two._

* * *

Loading up the car was the east part of the morning. It was saying goodbye that they were having difficulty with. Specifically a father who couldn't bring himself to let go of his daughter, even going so far as to lift her off the ground in an enormous hug. "Dad. It's going to be alright. We'll be back the next vacation we get, okay?"

Sniffling, Stu nodded sadly. "I know, Jude. It's just... I don't like seeing my babies go! Pretty soon you'll all be gone."

"Dad, you have plenty of us left, especially the ones with burrows right next door that are popping out babies just like mom did. You've got what. 200 grandkits now?"

"300!" he said proudly. "Samantha, Mandy, and Jennifer all just had their second litters."

"Oh. I didn't know they were that far along. I didn't even get a chance to see them." She smiled at her father who was still teary eyed. "I guess that gives me an incentive to come back a little sooner, huh?" She regretted saying it almost immediately as he broke out into sobs and collapsed onto her. Patting his back and waiting for him to stop crying, Judy looked around at her co-passengers who were also saying their goodbyes.

Jessica was busy kissing Finnick as if it was the last time they would ever see each other. The fox didn't seem to mind though, returning the kiss almost as fervently. Judy was worried she would never get that image out of her head. To her left stood Trisha and Sarah. They both were looking at each other openly with what she could see as love. Their voices were too soft for her to hear but the tender kiss and tight embrace told her all she needed to know.

Over to her right was her mate and her mother. Their heads were bowed together and whispering excitedly. At one point Bonnie's eyes had opened wide and she let out an excited squeal which led to Judy giving Nick a suspicious stare, one that he chose to ignore pointedly. Shushing Bonnie, he spent a couple more minutes whispering to her with her nodding emphatically.

Eventually though it was time to say goodbye. With a few more hugs and in the case of the other two couples, several kisses, the four mammals piled into The Blueberry and headed for home.

* * *

**Post A/N: Next up, Jessica and Finnick treat us to _their_ Saturday excursion.**


	28. Chapter 32 - Back to Bunnyburrow Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright, gotta get serious here for a minute everyone. A lot, seriously a lot of readers and other writers have mistakenly attributed ownership of the character Trisha (Rose) to myself. This is very much NOT the case. Trisha is the creation and property of Bluelighthouse, another great author on this site. I have been very privileged to be able to use her in my stories, but she is not mine. Please refrain from asking me for permission to use her in your stories and especially do not approach Blue asking him to contact me for permission (which has happened more times than you'd think). So please, respect the character as his property, not mine. Just because I get to write her into my story does not mean I get to claim her. Thanks.   
> -Fox and Blue
> 
> Disclaimer: I tried to trade my kid's soul for the rights to Zootopia but it was only appraised as enough for a signed picture of Duke Weaselton. In unrelated news, does anyone have a picture frame roughly 9" x 13" I can have?

**_Saturday afternoon: Finnick and Jessica P.O.V_ **

Finnick was in hell. Finnick was in fluffy, cute, adorable bunny hell. He couldn't believe he had allowed Nick to talk him into this. The fennec was a solitary mammal, rarely wanting to be around more than a couple mammals at a time, unless it was at a bar or during a hustle. Now he found himself surrounded by hundreds of rabbits of all sizes. He was completely unprepared for this, Nick having been less than forthcoming about what to expect. Something he shouldn't be surprised by after all these years. Neither of them tended to share much beyond what was necessary even though they were thick as thieves. It was what growing up in such a hostile environment tended to do to mammals.

Being a fox in Zootopia tended to make a kit's life a living hell, and both he and Nick had found growing up didn't change much except for the fact that it became worse. At least as a kit they only looked at him as a _potential_ sneak and thief, but as an adult it was almost a guarantee to be sneered at and looked down upon. Being used to it for almost his entire life, Finnick really didn't expect Bunnyburrow to be much different. He expected to be yelled at, insulted, maybe even surrounded with torches and pitchforks. He had been surrounded, but instead of being spat on or ran out of town, several dozen young bunnies, kits that used to be scared to death of foxes, had wanted to carry him off and play games with him. How had his life led him to this, was the only thought going through his mind at the moment. It was a strange experience for him to be surrounded by so many bunnies who were looking at him with almost zero fear. Although he figured he shouldn't really be so surprised. Standing just over half the height of a grown rabbit, he didn't appear threatening to anyone. It was a much different environment than Zootopia where he had a street rep that made most mammals on the wrong side of the law hesitate to even come near him, let alone attack him. But in the first five minutes of being in Hicktown he had been swarmed by dozens of young bunnies. Luckily his very own gray rabbit had saved him from possible death by the Kerfluffle. The mammal he had suffered through a four hour car ride with the lovebirds and crazy bunny number three in his life for.

"So Teddy Bear, how was the trip?" Jessica insisted on calling him that ridiculous pet name, though he wasn't sure why. It was possible that she did because of his fur coloring and general shape which he thought was preposterous as he looked nothing like a teddy bear doll. The other option, the more likely of the two, was simply that she found him cuddly. And after their marathon during their first meeting he would put money on that being the case, though it didn't exactly make him feel any better about it.

"Sucked. Your sister and lover boy kept going back and forth about work, then discussed relationships going on in the force. It was like their entire life revolved around being cops." Finnick wasn't naive. He knew exactly how much time and energy was involved when being an officer, but he didn't have to pretend that he liked hearing about it. "They also brought some girl bunny that works at a bar they go to a lot. Bar for the fuzz."

Jessica nodded. "Oh that's right. Judy texted me this morning they were bringing another friend down. Trisha I think it was." Leading her boyfriend into the house, she was not surprised to find the front hall and kitchen deserted. With the festival going on, almost every bunny in the burrow was either at the fair or out in the fields securing more produce for their family to sell _at_ the fair. "What's she like?"

"Out of the craziest bunnies I've ever met, she's number two on the list." Giving her a sideways glance and a small smirk, he winked. "You're the first." Enjoying the annoyed look but deep blush on the gray bunny's face, Finnick gave her a slight shoulder bump which ended up hitting her in the hip. "Anyways, bar bunny talks way too much. I don't know how bunny cop and Nick handle her staying with them."

Her eyes lit up with glee at the freely offered up gossip. "She's _living_ with them? That's gotta be awkward." Suddenly a suspicious thought born from something Finnick had said a few weeks ago came to the surface. "You don't think Nick really _is_ starting his own 'bunny harem', do you?"

Eyebrow cocked, Finnick came to a dead stop in the hallway they had just entered. Jessica stopped short as she realized he was no longer beside him. "What on Earth would give you that idea?" His voice came out a little gruff, as if he was annoyed at the insinuation.

"Well, you said, you know back in the city, that Nick was trying to bed both me and Judy. I mean, I know you were just messing with Nick's head but is it possible? I don't want Judy to get hurt." The concern for her sister was sweet but it was misplaced. Finnick also thought this and began to laugh heavily. Jessica didn't take too kindly to his apparent dismissal of her concerns. "What is so funny?"

"Cottontail, I don't think you understand them reds. If there's one thing about red foxes that you ever have to worry about, it's them stepping out on their mates. Did Bunny cop ever mention the term 'mated for life'?" Jessica nodded.

"Yes she did. Bunnies do that too, you know. We find someone and we stay with them."

"But not all the time, right? I mean there are the occasional rabbits who cheat or get divorced and remarry or things like that, right?" Jessica nodded again, this time a little hesitantly. It wasn't a topic rabbits liked to discuss as they felt it merely reaffirmed the stereotypes of their 'promiscuous' nature. While bunnies did like to 'play the field' when they were younger, once they settled on a mate it was rare for the couple to ever divide. "Well," Finnick continued, "reds don't have that happen. When red foxes bond with a mate, that's it. They won't ever be interested in another mammal for the rest of their lives. It doesn't matter if their mate dies, they never take another. Some of them even go so far as to let themselves die if they lose their mate. So if there's one thing you can be certain of when it comes to Nick Wilde, it's that bunny cop is _the_ single most important thing in his life. He could never hurt her, physically or otherwise." A sly grin crossed his muzzle as he added, "He's still gonna be an ass, though. She's gotta deal with that on her own."

Jessica, who had been listening intently, was both relieved and awed. She giggled at that last bit, knowing her fox was just as much of an ass as her sister's. While it did clear up the problem she had, it also opened up another question she now had to ask. "What about fennecs?" Leaning in, she put her lips mere inches from his, batting her thick lashes. "How close do _you_ get to the one you love?"

Desire demanded he come those last few inches, to press his muzzle to her mouth and give in to his wants. It was his uncertainty and doubt that ruled his mind instead. Pulling away and turning his head regretfully, he missed the frown that appeared on her mouth and the flash of sadness in her eyes. "Fennecs aren't the same as reds. We care a lot for our mates. Just as much as reds do. But we don't have the same built-in 'do or die' deal. We divorce, we remarry. Occasionally one will cheat. We're just like every other mammal out there. We make the same...mistakes..." Jessica saw the pained expression flash across his face at that, leaving her with the impression that he knew very intimately what 'other mammals' were capable of.

Determined to break the depressing mood the conversation had turned towards, she reached down and intertwined their paws together. "Well that's something that we can deal with at another time. This weekend is about you and me and a festival to go to. And we're gonna have fun, and enjoy each others company, and we're not gonna waste any of the time we have by moping around. Now get in here so we can dress for the festival."

Finnick, who had been distracted by their conversation, hadn't noticed that he had been led down twisting hallways until they stood in front of a door. "Dressed? We are dressed. Do you have to wear something specific to get inside? I'll be dead before wearing overalls."

"Sorry, that's my bad. I didn't mean get dressed." She pushed on the door revealing a darkened bedroom, decorated with family photos including a new one of the fennec fox himself on the desk. Shoving him into the room, she quickly followed before slamming the door shut. "I meant get _re-_ dressed," she said as she leapt at him.

* * *

_Why couldn't we have just taken the car?_ Finnick was having a very difficult time keeping up with the rest of the group. His short legs were more for quick trips to the corner marker or down the stairs of his apartment to his van. In the city walking wasn't something that was normally done. If it was close by, it wasn't a long walk. And if it was a ways out, you either drove or took public transportation. He may have had endurance in the ways Jessica appreciated, but when putting one leg in front of the other he was quickly too tired to continue moving. "Hey Teddy Bear. Why don't you go sit under that tree over there? Just take a rest in the shade. I'll be right back to get you."

Before he could respond, even though he probably couldn't do so anyway with how hard he was breathing, she was gone back down the hill. _I'm so friggin pathetic. 33 years old and I can't make a forty five minute walk. Why the hell would a bunny even want me?_ Feeling rather embarrassed but also mostly angry with himself, Finnick carried his tired body off the path to the large tree nearby. Left with nothing but his thoughts, the fennec opted to look around and attempt to familiarize himself with his surroundings.

There really wasn't much to see this far out in the country. There were a few crop fields in sight, the random tree spread out here or there. Mainly it was rolling hills of green grass and a few patches of winter wildflowers. It was nothing he hadn't seen before but breathing in he could notice the difference between city nature and true nature. While the air in the city was clean, it always carried the scent of other mammals, exhaust fumes, and environmental machines. The breath he took out here was crisp. There was no smell of exhaust, only flowers. No mixed scents of millions of mammals, just the breeze brushing over the grass. It was peaceful and filled him with a kind of contentment. He could almost feel himself being lulled to sleep by the calmness surrounding him.

Before long he found himself being shaken awake. "Hey sleepyhead. I was only gone fifteen minutes and you conk out? Better have energized you for the festival cause we're still going. So get up and get your butt in the car." Grumbling, the small fox pulled himself off the ground and started heading back towards the path before her words fully registered. _Her car. She brought her car. I lo-_... Finnick cut off his thoughts as he reached what he saw as dangerous territory. He had already admitted to himself what he felt towards the bunny but he still wasn't sure if it was fully reciprocated. What Nick had told him gave him hope that it was the case, but he had been burned in the past and still was unsure of himself. Sliding into the passenger seat the fennec stared out the window, refusing to look at the doe.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." His words came out harsher than he intended, causing the young rabbit to look over in surprise. She hadn't heard him use a tone like that before, even when they first fought outside his van. Then it had been anger, a rush in the moment. Something to be expected as rocky of a start they had had. Now though, it was one of indifference. As if he had lost all interest in spending time with her. And it was that thought that had her biting her lip before driving them both down the road.

It was a very short drive, but to the two mammals it seemed to take hours. Each wanting to bring up what was on their mind, each too scared to do so. Jessica had been in multiple relationships over the years, many of them having been short-lived. She was a hopeless romantic, always chasing after the ideal buck. Always being disappointed by the real them when they felt they didn't need to impress her anymore. That was why Finnick was different. Or so she had thought.

Jessica had been confused when her sister had gotten with a fox. She couldn't understand the appeal of being with a predator or any non-rabbit for that matter. But then she had met the vulpine. Talked with him. Heard from her sister exactly what she found so alluring. And then she began to understand what made foxes so unique, especially to bunnies. The thrill of being taken by your ancestral hunter was an untapped fountain of arousal for the doe. It was more than that though. Nick had changed his whole life around for Judy. Even so far as to changing from a life of skirting the law to one of upholding it.

So it was a true joy to find that _her_ fox was willing to change himself too. It had been only a few weeks but already he had quit the hustling gig, gotten a real job and moved out of his van in favor of a true apartment. All for her, he had admitted. It made her feel so incredibly special. Something none of her other boyfriends had ever managed to do. Her previous relationships had all been infatuations. A handsome buck with a charming personality on the surface had been been enough to lure her in. With the fennec though, it was completely the opposite. He had been a gruff, overbearing jackass. Insulting her and her sister the moment he had laid eyes on them. It had been a relationship born of anger and undeniable, insatiable lust.

So with all that he had done, changing his life around for her, spending hours every day talking to her over video chat, traveling hundreds of miles stuck in a tiny car when he hated being around other mammals, the sudden reversal in his behavior was concerning to the gray bunny. It made her very nervous, concerned that she may have done something to upset him. He had seemed quite happy enough just an hour ago in her bedroom. _But maybe that was it,_ she mused. _Maybe he's only in it for the sex. Maybe everything he's 'done' has all been an act. Something to lure me in just like those other bucks. Could I have been that foolish again?_

Pulling into the festival parking lot, Jessica quickly unbuckled wanting to be out of the somber mood inside the car as quick as possible. She had barely swung one foot out before a small but overly strong paw grabbed her own. "Wait," the gruffness of the voice made it sound like a command, but the slight note of desperation told her it was a plea, one that she could not deny. Turning to face the tiny mammal, she left her face expressionless, raising her walls to guard herself. "I want to talk to you. It's important but..." he looked outside the car, viewing the crowd nervously. "I don't want to do it here. Is there someplace around here we can be alone for a bit?"

Raising her brow inquisitively, seemingly in control while inside she was a massive wreck, Jessica nodded and hopped out of the car, waiting for the fox to follow. Seeing him approach, she spun and led him away from the festival, taking a small path towards a thick grove of trees. While Finnick had such short legs, he was surprisingly good at keeping up with other mammals walking speed, though he knew he would need a rest if they didn't make it to wherever she was headed soon, though it did help they weren't scaling hills that were small mountains to him.

The two walked in silence for nearly a mile, having long ago entered the trail leading through the forest. Finnick was going over what he wanted to say in his head so that he made it come out right. He was normally someone who shot from the hip, no advanced planning needed. However those were never positive circumstances and he _really_ wanted this to go right. Jessica was silent for a very different reason. She spent her time trying to think of where things might have gone wrong. If he wanted to end it, she would not beg for him to stay with her. That was beneath her. She did want to know why though. She couldn't think of what she may have done for him to suddenly become so distant and brash.

A sharp left had them leaving the path and winding through a much rougher area, though the foliage was partially stripped and the grass short and bent as if regularly traveled. Finnick was a little hesitant about leaving the path but was willing to trust the doe. This was her home turf and it was better to yield to her judgment on this. They only needed to walk another hundred yards before finding themselves emerging into a small clearing. Surrounded on all sides by thick forest, it seemed an odd mixture of comforting and creepy, Jessica feeling the former while the fox was stuck with the latter. Four long, stripped logs lay on each side of a blackened area on the ground. Jessica moved to sit on one but Finnick chose to remain standing in front of her. Even with her sitting down, their size difference and the log's size did not make much of a difference.

Unable to keep his own nerves in check, Finnick eyes the surrounding area with a sense of trepidation. "This isn't where your whole family comes out of the trees and you all hold a 'Wicker Fox' kinda thing, is it?"

"Depends on what you wanted to talk about." Jessica's voice was even but the soft smile on her lips told the fennec that she was teasing, using the light bit of humor to try to lighten the mood. "Well, we're here." She glanced around at the empty clearing. "We're alone. So what's on your mind, Teddy Bear?" She tried to force herself to stay positive, keep her cheerful demeanor at least in her voice if not in her mind.

"Right. Right." Pacing back and forth in front of the log, Finnick was unable to keep his paws calm, wringing them nervously. "Look Cottontail, I'm not good at this. Nick was always the talker. I was just th-... Never mind that. That's the past. The old me. Ugh! Why is this so hard to say?!" Gripping his head, the small fox shook it back and forth rapidly, squeezing it tight. Jessica jumped up from the log and pulled his paws apart before he could damage himself.

"Teddy Bear, calm down. You can tell me whats wrong. Just sit down." Taking his paw, she slowly brought him to the log she was previously on and sat him down next to her. "I think I know what this is about," Finnick looked at her in alarm, "and if you want to break up with me that's okay. I understand I suppose. I just thought we had a good thing going, you know? I'm sorry if I messed it up."

Now the fennec was truly alarmed. "Cottontail, I do _not_ want to break up with you. That's the furthest thing from my mind." Jessica's forlorn expression vanished, replaced by a near giddy and hopeful smile.

"You don't?"

"God no." Taking her paw in his two smaller ones, he gazed at her, locking his own brown eyes with her pale purple. "Look Cottontail, I wanted to talk to you about what has been going on the last few weeks. It may seem pathetic to admit this, but from the time I met you until now has been the happiest time of my life. I never thought I'd ever be out of the hustling game, nor have a place to live that didn't get a parking ticket on it. I have your sister to blame for that one," shooting her a glance that made the doe giggle. "I'm just worried I'm gonna do somethin' stupid to mess it up. Wouldn't be the first time. I'm really nervous about this. Long range over video felt lonely but it also was way easier to handle."

"Might have been easier, but I missed you terribly, Teddy Bear."

"I missed you too, Cottontail. It scared me how much. I've never felt like that before."

"Well what makes me so different?" Jessica was teasing him but also felt a little curious what he actually saw that was different from what probably was at least a dozen vixens in his life.

"Well I've never actually been in love before y-..." He cut himself off so quickly it sounded as if someone had turned off the radio. Suddenly everything in the woods was more interesting than the gray doe next to him. His large ears though failed to miss the rapid quickening of her heart or the shallow breaths coming faster.

"You love me?" Jessica breathed. She had heard those words many times before but they had always been empty. Said because it was expected or to get between her legs. This was real. His reaction to his slip-up was proof enough of that. It filled her with an immense joy, her eyes watering and threatening to spillover. Still he refrained from answering, trying to avoid her eyes. "Teddy Bear? Do you really love me?"

Sighing heavily, Finnick bowed his head and nodded. "Yeah, Cottontail. I do." A sudden squeal from beside him was all the fennec heard before being tackled and a pair of soft lips pressed against his, hard.

* * *

It was some time later before a gray bunny and a small fox appeared from the woods, clothes disheveled and covered in remains of dirt and crushed leaves. The doe had a content smile on her face and a rather unsteady gait. The fennec couldn't help but show a small bit of pride whenever he caught sight of the female having a bit of trouble walking straight knowing that he was the cause of it.

By the time they reached the entrance it had already progressed into middle afternoon. The crowd was thinner than it had been an hour before so getting through the gates went much quicker than Jessica had been suspecting. They did notice a few odd stares being sent their way which was understandable considering Finnick's size and the fact that they were holding paws. It appeared to outsiders that the doe was leading around a young fox kit, something none of them had ever seen.

"Let's go play the games, Teddy Bear!" Jessica really wanted to go on the rides but there was a problem, one that she knew would ruin their afternoon. While most of the big city was adapted to suit the needs of every mammal, Bunnyburrow was lagging behind. With a population consisting of ninety nine percent rabbits, size adaptation wasn't seen as something of a necessity. As such, with the fox's small size being close to that of a very young rabbit, he would not meet the height requirement on many of the rides. So to save him from embarrassment, Jessica decided to act as if she wasn't interested in them at all. What she didn't know was that Finnick had read her easily when they came in, seeing her eyes light up at the new additions to the fair. He was grateful she had wanted to save his feelings but he promised himself he would find a way for her to do some of the them before they left. For now he let himself be steered the opposite direction towards the gaming booths.

While hustling and conning wasn't exactly an honorable profession, he and Nick still had certain rules. You didn't con the elderly, you left the disabled alone, and under no circumstances did you hustle children. Which is why they both hated fairground games. The workers there had zero issues with unfairly stealing children's money, offering pathetic excuses for prizes that were a fraction of the cost of real toys. They had no scruples in rigging the games either. All in all, the idea of them made the fennec sick. And made him even happier to screw them over by ruining their day. "Alright Cottontail. Let's play with the stands."

Confused by how he worded his agreement, the doe shrugged it off and followed after him, happily skipping along. There were a rather large amount of games that year, more than Jessica had seen previously for the Winter Harvest festival. Chalking it up to the ride additions and the unusually large crowd gathered, they maneuvered through the densely packed lanes to their first stand, a simple ball and basket game. This was one he knew rather well, having been a victim of it many times in his youth. It had taken a lot of self-restraint to not break the vendor's knees when he had learned how the game was rigged.

Standing in front of the plastic tubs stood a rabbit, roughly the age of the fox and all white. He was dressed in farming clothes, a pair of denim overalls and checkered shirt, but Finnick could tell this was no country bunny. No, this was a lifer. A soul that had decided to make their living stealing from others. He knew the signs. Practiced eyes that scanned the crowd for marks. Ready to deliver lines memorized after cheating mammals out of their cash thousands and thousands of times. He knew because that was how he had been. Until the bunny beside him had given him a reason to turn away from that life.

"Step right up, missy!" The fox's eyes narrowed slightly as the carny addressed his doe but kept his muzzle shut. He had a plan to mess with the rabbit and he wanted it to be a good one. He also noticed Jessica's eyes light up dangerously at the way he spoke to her but at the feel of a paw brush the back of her leg, she looked down to see the fennec give the slightest shake of his head. She bit her tongue and turned back to the vendor. "Care to test your skill? It's easy as cherry pie. All you gotta do is put the ball in the basket here," he waved to the tubs behind him, affixed to a wooden board that was angled back. Tossing in a ball to demonstrate how it was played, Finnick noted the second ball on the bottom of the tub. The second ball was used to absorb some of the energy the stretched rubber bottom that had replaced the natural plastic of the basket could produce. "Just five dollars to play and if you win you get to pick from any of these prizes here!" The cheerful demeanor was disarming to most, he knew, something he and Nick had employed many times throughout their 'career.' As for the 'prizes' that had been pointed at above them, they were easily revealed to him as very cheaply put together. He wagered the seams would last maybe long enough to actually make it home before splitting apart and spilling the cotton guts everywhere.

Jessica wasn't naive. She was old enough to know the games weren't exactly fair, but she merely though they were hard, not that they were rigged to make it nearly impossible to win without a massive amount of luck. "Sure, I'll play." Noting that the carny, who was now grinning widely with eager eyes, had removed the second ball from the basket, Finnick knew that made the game impossible if one didn't know how to beat it. Stepping up, the gray doe took the two balls offered by the white paws. Squaring her shoulders, she lightly tossed the first one, just rolling into the bottom edge. She was pleased with herself until it shot back out at a ridiculous speed compared to how it went in. _That's not right,_ she mused, now getting an inkling that something may be screwy. But she swallowed down her accusations and tried again. And again a near perfect throw had the ball bouncing right back out.

"Oh that's too bad," the vendor chirped to the now very red doe. "Can't win em all I suppose. Thanks for playing. Unless you care to try again?" Jessica, who was now extremely angry with the buck, now having her suspicions confirmed, was about to bite his head off when she felt a yank on her belt. Glancing down, she saw her fox pulling at her. But yet it was not _her_ fox. This one certainly looked like him. Dressed in the same clothing he was just in. But his face was completely different. As if he had grown thirty years younger. He beckoned down to her and she instinctively bent over, though confused at what was happening.

"Cottontail," his gruff and deep voice told her he was definitely still the same fox, but the way he looked was still astounding the doe. "Tell him you're looking after a friend's kit for the day. That I like to play games and think I'm great at baseball. Tell him you bet twenty bucks against all the toys he has that I can do it." Giving him a queer look, she seemed dubious until he gave her a wink. Reassured, although still worried, she turned back to the vendor.

"This is my friend's kit. He fancies himself a bit of a baseball star. Could he try once?"

"Lady, if he wants to play, you've gotta put up the cash. It's just the festival's rules, I don't make em." Finnick knew the buck was full of it. There were no such rules and he was definitely the type to take money from kits, even those that look to be three years old. If anything he was even more determined to screw with the rabbit.

Jessica turned to look at her boyfriend only to stare in shock at the pacifier now in his mouth. It made him appear even younger and even more innocent. Now getting what he was going for, she turned back to the vendor. "What if we put up twenty dollars and if he did gets both balls in he gets all these toys?" She leaned over the stall, getting close to the buck who couldn't help but eye her up and down, noticing her very attractive figure. "His mother gave him twenty bucks to play games and if I can make it happen in one go then I'm not stuck watching a three year old _fox_ play up and down the fair."

The stress when she said 'fox' peaked the buck's interest as much as her body, seeing that she was trapped into doing a favor, not actually liking the kit's company. He winked conspiratorially at the doe and turned to face the fox 'kit'. "Alright buddy. If you can land both balls in the tub you'll win all the toys I have here! Here you go!" He turned over the balls, chuckling at how large they were in the fennec's small paws.

Stumbling forward, Finnick gave a very convincing act as a toddler still learning how to perfect walking, the pacifier firmly lodged in his muzzle. Stepping up onto a small stool used for young bunnies, he judged the best angle for his plan. Looking over the tub's construction and where he knew the bottom had been replaced, he quickly analyzed the game and pulled his arm back and let the ball fly. Hitting almost at the very back on the top of the tub, the ball bounced and hit the very edge on the plastic just before the rubber bottom, sapping almost all of the kinetic energy from the throw. While the ball still rolled partially up the surface, it wasn't enough to come out and the first ball was in. Astounded, the buck could only chalk it up to a severely lucky throw and quickly pulled the ball from the bucket. He then watched as the fox repeated the throw, nailing almost exactly the same spot with the same result.

"How in the hell..." The carny was stunned at what he had just seen. He had rarely ever witnessed someone getting lucky enough to land both balls in, it did happen eventually, but for a tiny fox kit to do it was insane. But now he was faced with a dilemma. He couldn't very well give away all of the toys. He wouldn't have anything for the rest of the festival and that was quite a lot of inventory for him.

"Wow, you did it Johnny!" Finnick was amused by her acting, especially with how quickly she came up with a name for him. "Now you get to take home all these toys! And we can give some to your siblings and your friends from school-"

"Excuse me, miss?" Jessica paused in her pretend ramblings, looking over at the buck quizzically. "I'm afraid I can't let you take all of the toys."

"But-" she looked back down at the small fox next to her, his eyes now tearing up. "You promised him that he could take them. He won them."

"I know, and I hate to see a kit cry," Finnick's bullshit detector was going off like crazy, "but I really can't let all the toys go. I still have to work here for the next two days. I can't afford to close up shop. Can I buy them back? Offer you another twenty five? I'll toss in a giant bunny toy for the little guy."

"Hmm..." Jesica appeared to consider it, scratching her chin while fazing down at the ground, letting the vendor sweat it out. Finally she turned to the fennec. "What do you think, Johnny? Can we let him buy back the toys? We could get twenty five dollars for it." The 'kit' cocked his head at her before shaking it and holding up both his paws. "You're right, that does make more sense. Okay, we'll do that, kiddo." Readdressing the buck, she put a big smile on her face. "We'll let you buy them back-" he seemed relieved "-for two fifty."

The silence as the buck's jaw opened and closed was amusing to them both. When he finally managed to speak it was all stutters. "Y-...you c-can't be _serious_?

"Of course we are. I figure that's easily five to six hundred dollars worth of product that you're hoping to turn into a couple thousand this weekend. So if you want to keep some of this garbage and try to make some profit by the end of tomorrow, you'll cough up the cash and let us be on our merry way." The vendor was dumbfounded.

"I... fine. Take it." Pulling out a wad of cash, he quickly peeled off several twenty and fifty dollar bills. Taking it happily, Jessica put it in her pocket and turned to leave. "I better not see you near my stall again. And I can't believe you dragged a child into this." He paused as a sudden thought came to him. "How did he do that anyway?"

Finnick popped the pacifier from his mouth and scowled at the buck. "It's called a hustle, Jack." Jessica laughed with abandon as she turned and followed her fox down the lane, leaving a wide-eyed and stunned buck behind them.

"Oh my god. That was so much fun! What a rush." She bounced forward until she could look him in the eye. "Was that why you and Nick used to hustle? For the thrill?" While Finnick had certainly enjoyed messing with the jackass behind the booth, he didn't want her to think it was all cupcakes and rainbows.

"I only liked doing it to that guy back there because he broke me and Nick's rules. You don't target kids. But hustling wasn't something we did for fun. We mainly did it to survive. There were many times, _many_ times that we didn't eat for days. Nick ended up homeless several times, once for nearly a year." The look of despair on her face nearly broke him. "Look I don't mean to sound like it was a life of shit. There were more good times than bad. And it was definitely fun working with your childhood best bud. Just don't picture it as a life filled with laughter and lollipops."

The two walked in silence for a little while before the bunny stopped, pulling him to her. "I know it wasn't an easy life. And at times it was fairly criminal and not something you want to look at fondly," Finnick stood there, not really sure where this was going. "But I as wondering...could we maybe do it again?" If there was one thing he was expecting to hear, it certainly wasn't that, and the surprised expression on his face made that clear. "I mean, I know you quit it. Left that life behind. And for me, I mean wow! And I'm really grateful to you for it. It was such an amazing gesture and really showed that you want to make us work. I was just thinking, there's a lot of games around here that I always thought seemed a bit one-sided but now I know why. I just want to take em down a peg. Specifically one guy."

Finnick was trying to wrap his head around all of that. The sheer speed with which she rattled off everything had caught him off guard but the center of it all seemed to revolve around her newfound power for revenge. Or at least what she saw as justice against scamming kids out of their money by rigging games. Something the small fox was more than happy to do. "Alright. We'll do one more, but that's it. I want to spend some time with you that _doesn't_ remind me of the old days. That's not who I am anymore."

The doe beamed, both at the thought of taking down another asshole carny and also at the sentiment her fox was showing. "Great! Let's go. He's usually over here." Winding their way through the crowd, which was slowly getting denser, the two mammals eventually reached the midway point of the games lane. Jessica had stopped in front of a booth, behind which stood another bored looking rabbit with three milk jugs stacked in a pyramid. _Oh. One of those games._ The fennec recognized well the standard carny game. It was rigged all across the country, never once offering any real way to win. Oh he was certain it used to be a real game, one you could win by skill, but these days they used cheap tricks to steal your money,

"How ya doin', folks? Ready to try your arm and see if you have what it takes? Just a bit of speed, a touch of strength, and some good ol' accuracy and these jugs will come tumbling down, winning you any of the prizes above your head." Jessica immediately fell in love with a giant carrot plushie, something Finnick was quick to notice.

"How much?" His gravely, deep voice made the buck do a double-take and stare at the small fennec, but quickly regained his sales pitch persona.

"Just three dollars per ball. Care to try and win something for your...friend?" Finnick gave the rabbit a hard look before approaching and clambered up on the small stool in front. Hefting the ball, noticing the standard weight of the baseball, he looked downrange and saw the badly painted jug peeling, showing the cement body of the object. He knew he couldn't get enough speed on the ball in order to knock down the pins, but the first shot was mainly a warm-up.

"Just gotta knock em down, right?" Making sure you were _very_ clear in your understanding of the nature of the game was important when out on the streets. It's even more important when trying to hustle someone, not unlike this vendor. Though he had gotten sloppy.

"That's right. Just knock the three jugs down and off the back and you've got yourself a brand new prize." The small fox nodded and wound up his pitch. It landed squarely in the center, where all three pf them came together. Now, under normal circumstances, those jugs would at least topple over, though not necessarily fall off the back. However, they barely moved. Finnick was not a weakling. His upper body strength was very high for someone his size so he knew it wasn't something he lacked. Instead it was the solid concrete they were made of that was causing the difficulty.

"Here's another three to hold my spot. I'll be right back." Jessica watched him walk off, a little confused by his leaving after giving the vendor his money and taking the ball with him. All she did know was that she hoped he would be back soon, partly because she missed him and the rest to make the creepy vendor buck stop staring at her while licking his lips. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long as she spotted him making his way towards her with something laying on his shoulder. A... _bat?_

_"_ Step back, Cottontail." Retaking his position, the fennec gripped the bat in one paw and lifted the ball in the other.

"Now hold on a second. You can't ju-." Whatever he had been about to say was lost as Finnick tossed the ball up and connected the steel bat to it. The ringing 'clang' echoed across the field and the ball sped faster than the eye could travel, smacking into the tower, sending two of them shooting out the back of the stand. The third one didn't move at all.

The vulpine hopped up onto the banister separating him from the buck. Gesturing at him with the bat to get his attention, Finnick prodded him in the chest. "If I go over there, am I gonna find a nail or a screw going through that platform into that jug?" The buck's eyes darting around furiously for a means of escape but unable to find one, he started to sweat. Receiving another shot to the chest with hardened steel had him clutching the sore spot. "I'm gonna take that as a yes. Well here's what you're gonna do, Lenny or whatever you're called you giant sack of shit. First you're gonna reach up there and you're gonna get my girl that giant carrot. Then you're gonna take out every nail and screw out of these jugs and make your game as fair as possible considering they're all practically lead weights. And if you don't do that and I hear another story about someone getting robbed over here, I'm gonna come back with my little friend here," he threatened, once again prodding him in the chest, "and we're gonna have some very not nice words. Got it, Jack?"

A few minutes later the couple was once again moving through the crowd, this time with the bunny holding a ginormous plush carrot in her arms. "That was wonderful, Teddy Bear! I can't believe there's so many a-holes here. I thought the town council wouldn't let them come in but I guess they don't are either."

"Well it's actually real easy to get the games past inspectors. All they have to do is present an unrigged version to get approved, then swap everything out once they're set up. It's bullshit but hey, that's how the world works some days."

Secretly, Finnick had been taking a meandering route through the stalls, passing by food carts and game platforms, making sure to avoid the farmer's market area so that he didn't run into her parents. It wasn't that he _didn't_ want to meet them, it was just that he didn't want to meet them. Dealing with the 'rents was often too much trouble for him to deal with but now that it was with someone he was actually taking seriously he knew it was only a matter of time before he had to face the music. Especially since he was going to spending two nights in their burrow. But the real destination he was after suddenly loomed in front of them. "Alright Cottontail. I saw you eyeing this bad boy when we got here, so here you go. Take it for a spin."

Looking up at the towering monster in front of her, Jessica began to get excited. It had been a _very_ long time since she had last been on a roller coaster and this easily dwarfed the one she remembered by leaps and bounds. Quickly getting excited, she began hopping up and down before stopping and looking over at her fox. "A-are you sure, Teddy Bear? I don't need to go on the ride."

"It's okay, Cottontail. I know I don't meet the height requirements, at least not at this fair, but I want you to go on. Besides," he reached out and plucked the toy from her arms, "who would look after your carrot while you're gone?" Once more consumed with excitement, the doe bent down and dragged him into a hard kiss, one that left him reeling. When he came to, she was already halfway up the stairs. The crowd wasn't very heavy yet and the lull had managed to let her get a spot in front on the very next ride. Finnick stood watching as she put on the strap and waited for a attendant to lower the bar.

Before he did however, another buck swaggered over and climbed in beside the gray doe who suddenly looked uncomfortable. Finnick could feel a growl starting deep in his throat but quickly clamped down on it. He wasn't concerned about Jessica's feelings towards him. Not anymore. So he decided to let her do the handling of it and he would only break the buck's kneecaps if he went too far.

The ride started, sending them on the slow climb up to the peak. Each foot they went was filling the fox with more trepidation, each rotation of the wheels making him nervous that something was going to go wrong. It was an irrational fear, one that Finnick had not experienced before. But, as he had told himself many times over the past few weeks, there were going to be many things different from now on.

It was nearly impossible to keep track of all the loops the ride took. It definitely made it difficult to watch a particular cart but the screams of his bunny were easily heard, the giddy enthusiasm able to be picked up from the other side of the festival. It did his heart good to know she was enjoying the ride even though he couldn't make it with her. He made sure to make a mental note to invite her to the city the next time the Zootopian fair was running. There they could go on a lot of rides together. His large ears picked up a horrified gasp right before the last loop as his bunny's joyful cries suddenly stopped which were quickly followed by a deafening wail of pain halfway through it.

Hurrying towards the the exit ramp, he waited nervously, bouncing on the balls of his feet, desperately needing to now what had happened, worried sick about Jessica. A figure tore from the front of cart as soon as it stopped, their paws held over their face. His heart dropped like a stone as he felt his worse fears come true, only to realize it was the buck that had swooped in next to his doe. Blood flew from between his paws and trailed in the air leaving splatter marks along the wooden planks. He watched him go with a mixed look of amusement and confusion. "Hey Teddy Bear. Did you miss me?" Turning towards the heavenly voice, Finnick took in the sight of the grey bunny moving towards him.

"It may seem like a stupid question, but what happened to that guy?" The vulpine wasn't an idiot. He had a pretty good idea what had occurred but he wanted to hear it from her, mainly just to confirm what he was slowly starting to understand; that she was a rabbit to be reckoned with.

"Jackass thought I was an easy lay. Grabbed my tail near the end of the ride." She rubbed her sore knuckles, checking for any cuts or bruises. "Had to send a message of _discouragement_ if you get my drift. Think something may be bruised. Hopefully it's not fractured. I'll have Sarah take a look at it when we get back." Shaking his head and giving a light chuckle Finnick moved the large carrot to his other paw in order to take hers. Leaving the ride area, they both drew to a halt and checked out the monitors displaying the pictures from the last loop of the ride. Scanning, he quickly found the one he was looking for.

"Looking good, Cottontail." Jessica quickly found the image he was looking at and turned red in embarrassment. Pictured quite clearly was the exact moment her fist had connected with the buck's nose, the anger on her face as clear as the fear and pain on the mammal's next to her. "I want the deluxe package for that picture right there," he told the bored looking both worker. Looking the doe dead in her eye, he spoke to her with one hundred percent sincerity. "Cottontail, if I thought you would want me to defend you or that I thought you couldn't handle yourself, I'd have taken that buck apart. But what this picture tells me is that I shouldn't be afraid _for_ you, I should be afraid _of_ you."

With a mischievous glint in her eye and a sinister smile on her lips, she leaned in close and gave his cheek a lick. "You better believe it, Teddy Bear. You haven't seen anything yet."

* * *

The rest of the fair had been mostly uneventful, though compared to the highlights it wasn't all that surprising. It had been probably the best festival Jessica had ever gone to. To start off the trip by having her fox declare his love for her, even if it had been an accidental slip-up, had led to them being overly late coming out of the woods. It had taken nearly an hour for her to get all of the feeling in her legs back after their 'time' together in the clearing but it had been well worth it.

She had thoroughly enjoyed being taught how to 'hustle' when she discovered the game vendor had been rigging the game. Making some quick cash was definitely a bonus though she was going to make sure it found it's way into the paws of her siblings that had been scammed by the nasty buck. It had been quite a shock to see her fox regress three decades in looks by simply changing his facial expressions and adding a pacifier. She understood now how Nick and him were usually successful in their hustles. It was hard for her to ignore his adorableness and she knew exactly who and what he was. Watching him school the milk jug vendor had also been quite enjoyable, though she felt he _may_ have stepped a little over the line by 'threatening' to hurt him if he kept scamming kids, though she got a nice giant carrot plush out of it so she wasn't horribly upset.

The best part had easily been the roller coaster. Not that he had not been able to ride with her. Nor that she had needed to break the disgusting buck's nose. No. It had been the fox' admission that he didn't think she really needed his protection and would only step in if he really felt she would be outmatched. No buck she had dated had given her that kind of credit, always pushing her to let them be the knight in shining armor even though she was more than capable of defending herself. Being a cheerleader in high school had made her quite limber and fast and her several trophies in track had made her legs strong formidable weapons. Not as strong or as fast as her cop sister, but more than capable of taking down her own share of overly _insistent_ bucks.

It was just another notch on the imaginary check list she was keeping for herself. It didn't really matter how many of them the fox achieved, it wasn't a factor for her to love him, but it was kind of fun for her to match him up against the vast inadequacies of her past boyfriends, and there were a significant amount of checks in his favor. But now, as they headed back to her car with the sun beginning to vanish over the horizon, she began to dread what was coming next. It was something she had been worried about ever since they had started seeing each other and now it was becoming a reality. And there was no way she could skip it.

"Teddy Bear, we kind of have a problem." It wasn't the smoothest way to address the issue but he appreciated bluntness so she was willing to give it to him. "When we get back, it's going to be dinner time. We're expected to sit and it will be at the adults table." The vulpine gave a non-committal grunt, showing he was listening but didn't want to respond, at least not yet. "My mom and dad...they're going to want to talk to you. About us."

Finnick didn't say anything, just gazed out the window seeming very interested in whatever was outside. He had been dreading this moment all day long, hoping he wouldn't have to subject himself to the scrutiny of his bunny's parents. But it seemed fate had other things in mind. primarily how to best filet him alive. _Here comes the pitchforks. Probably hungry for fox after they found out they couldn't skewer Nick._

"Teddy Bear?" Having only received stoic silence from the fennec left the doe sighing in defeat. "I won't let them belittle you, okay? They've come surprisingly far from their original mindset when it came to predators, especially foxes. A business partner and a 'son-in-law' if we understand the _mating_ thing properly. We'll be fine." Reaching her paw over to the passenger side, she gave the back of his ear a hearty scratch, smiling foolishly at how his tongue lolled out of his mouth and he started panting hard. She hadn't had a chance to do that to him for weeks, not since finding it out accidentally during their first time together.

All too soon though, their voyage had come to an end. Tires which had previously been on smooth pavement were suddenly stirring up loose gravel. Headlights were no longer illuminating grassy fields and crop fields, but the front of a house with many small bunnies playing in the front. Finnick expected them to pull up and get out so he was a little confused when they bypassed the front and moved around to a ridiculously large barn at the back of the property. It looked to the fox more like a commercial airplane hanger than a barn and when Jessica keyed a remote and a giant door swung open, he realized that was exactly what it was. A hanger painted to match the other barns on the property. Inside sat nearly a hundred cars and trucks, of all makes and models, sizes and condition of wear.

Finnick was often a mammal of few words unless it came to friends or, more recently, Jessica who had dragged him from his shell. In that moment however, he was completely speechless. Maneuvering around the interior parking garage like a pro, the doe finally found the proper spot and backed the small four door car into it's assigned area. Wordlessly, the two mammals exited the car and moved for the door pausing only long enough for Jessica to hang the keys back on the correct hook. It all seemed so simple the way she handled it, but it still had the fennec a little stunned.

"What? Did you think we all had our own cars?" Finnick looked over to see his bunny grinning happily at him. "We wouldn't have any place to fit them. So dad started collecting old junk cars when he and my mom started a family. Restored em. Had us start to take care of them once we were old enough. Now we just sign out the car we need and grab the keys. Far more efficient than dealing with parking our own cars and fighting each other for spots, don't you think?" He could only nod in agreement at the seemingly perfect idea for handling every kits' request all at once. "Well, best get inside. My parents are probably waiting for us." Remembering the horrible reason they were there for, Finnick let out a loud groan before trudging along behind her.

Entering the kitchen they observed quite the pandemonium. Several hundred rabbits were bouncing up and down the tables, grabbing rolls and butter, fighting over salt and pepper shakers, even vegetable trades. The fox grew slightly more hopeful. In all the chaos, perhaps the parents would simply miss them.

Alas it was not meant to be. Jessica pulled his arm towards a small door in the back corner of the room. "All of the adults, at least those not dealing with their own kits, come in here to eat. Tonight it's just us and my folks." _Wonderful. If there was anything more that would make this such a fantastic dinner waiting for us, it would be a dinner of only steamed cabbage._

Entering into the smaller room, he was dismayed once again, finding that steamed cabbage was indeed being served along with several other vegetables. Nothing that the small fox could really handle eating. Luckily he had come prepared. As the couple sat down side-by-side, Finnick pulled out a bag of cicada chips and another of dried crickets. Rolling his eyes at the look on the doe's face, he scoffed. "I can't eat vegetables, Cottontail. Well, most of em anyway. I need protein and I haven't had any since this morning before we left. Don't worry. I'll behave myself. I'll keep my crunching to a minimum."

Before she could berate him for bringing the snacks in the first place, the door opened once more, admitting a late middle aged doe wearing a pink shirt and plain leggings and a buck in overalls made to look as if he was born with them on and a faded green hat that was torn and showed massive aging signs. "Teddy Bear, these are my parents, Bonnie and Stu. Guys? This is Finnick. My boyfriend."

If the two were surprised they certainly didn't act like it. But he figured that was to be expected. They wouldn't have set up this dinner if they didn't know about the two of them, and Jessica was sure to have told her mother. They were also much warmer and inviting than the fennec had assumed they would be. Bonnie shook his paw welcoming him to their home. Stu simply nodded his head but it was with a reassuring smile.

"So...Mister..."

Finnick hesitated for a moment, unsure of what he should say. Should he tell them the name he was born under? The one he had chosen for himself? Or the one gifted to him by the only family who had ever cared for him in the first place. "Wilde."

"I'm sorry, did you say Wilde?" Stu was obviously confused at that, not having heard Nick say anything about another family member. Jessica was equally confused. While she had never point blank asked him for his last name, 'Wilde' was probably the last thing she expected to hear.

"Yeah, gramps. I said Wilde. There a problem with it?" Finnick was rarely ever happy when discussing his family, and now didn't seem to be an exception.

"No. No problem. I just wasn't expecting that. Nick didn't explain that you were a relative."

Hanging his head ow, the fennec toyed with the silverware in front of him. "I'm not. Not exactly." His voice, while still gruff and deep, had dropped in volume as if he was trying to sink away from being noticed.

"I'm not sure I fully understa-oomph!" A sharp jab from his wife's elbow had the buck reeling a bit, the air knocked from him instantly.

"Not much to understand, really. Mom was a Nip addict. Was hooked long before I was born. Didn't really give a rat's ass she was even pregnant so I spent the first few weeks being observed at a hospital for possible defects and withdrawal problems." He pause to take a sip of water, relishing in the horrified silence the truth of his life was causing them. "Dad was good at least. Took care of me. Worked hard to provide. Couldn't ever leave mom though. She was his achilles heel. Even when she stole money and bought more drugs, he couldn't bring himself to do it. One day she just never came home. Put him in a downward spiral something bad. Deteriorated for a few days then went out one night, drunk out of his mind. Wrapped his car around a pole." Feeling Jessica's paw wrap around his was a welcome feeling, one he reciprocated with a squeeze. "Imagine being nine years old and woken up by cops at the front door who told you that your dad, the last member of your family, that you didn't even know had left the house, was now dead." He let that sink in for a little bit.

The silence that followed would have been amusing to the fox if not for the look of sorrow on his Cottontail's face. It was Stu who managed to as the obvious question. "So if you had no living relatives and your last name is Wilde, does that mean that Nick...'

Finnick laughed, though it was hearty instead of following he darkness of the current atmosphere. "Yeah, Nick and his mom took me in. Nick had lost his dad only a couple years before so they knew the feeling," his comment did not go unnoticed as the elder rabbits had not heard anything on Nick's father but they did not inquire. "Nick and I had been best friends since kindergarten so it only made sense for Mrs. Wilde to take me in, not that it was really official. Courts don't give a shit about foxes, adults or otherwise. No one came to see how I was doin' so we never bothered to go tell 'em. I stayed in their house until I graduated high school and could strike it out on my own. Which worked about as well as you'd expect. Especially when Nick came with me."

Yes, that's right," Bonnie chimed in. "Nick tells us you were his partner, I believe he said. What sort of work did you two do together?"

It wasn't exactly the time for him to come clean about everything he had done in his life but he figured he had put in enough honesty at the table that he may as well continue. Impress upon them how much he was _right_ for their daughter. "Oh we did plenty of work. We conned mammals out of every dime they owned. Swindled people with games or pathetic acts, even going do far as to have me dress as a toddler to earn a sympathy buck." Getting a kind of sick pleasure watching the two rabbits squirm in their seats, he found himself wanting to continue. "Done far more than that. I used to work for a mob boss. Did some things I wasn't that proud of. No killing but when you burn down a house when someone isn't home it deadens you to the world." Leaning in, he fixed them both a hard stare. "I'm the type of sneaky, conniving, untrustworthy fox you've heard about. And I'm damn proud of where I've scraped myself out of. Cause morals doesn't make a garbage container any easier to sleep in."

He turned to look at the gray bunny next to him and his gaze softened. "And then your daughter came along. Everything changed for me, then. I quit that life. Left it all behind. Just for her." She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling as she returned his gaze.

"Excuse me mom. Dad. I need to take a minute or two." Jessica suddenly stood up and grasped her paw around the small fox's wrist, dragging him from the room and out into the kitchen which was now partially deserted. "My room. Now," she whispered into the fennec's overly large ears. And who was he to deny her request?

Bonnie turned to her husband, a questioning look on his face. "So what do you think?"

Stu stroked his chin for a minute before casting his gaze towards the door the two mammals had just left through. "Well, he's certainly not the worst one she's brought home."

* * *

**Huge thanks to Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps for the use of their character 'Jessica Hopps'!**


	29. Chapter 33 - Back to Bunnyburrow Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay folks. Here it is. The chapter I've all been waiting for. We finally delve into the hinted at time Sundae and Trisha have been seen spending together. What does it mean? It means a ridiculous crap ton of everything, that's what it means!
> 
> Warning #1: There's sex. And it's lesbian sex. That's all the warnings.
> 
> Gonna clear up something from last chapter. Everyone seems to think when Stu says that Finnick's 'not the worst shes brought home' that he was referring to him being a criminal or in with the mob. It had to do with his decency and him actually feeling love for their daughter. Cause some of the bucks she dragged home were just assholes.
> 
> BIG thanks to Bluelighthouse for continuous use of his character 'Trisha Rose' who is now being combined with my original character 'Sarah "Sundae" Hopps'. Together they form the new ship 'Sarisha' (Sarisha is owned by 'Crazy Fox in a Blue Lighthouse Productions')
> 
> Disclaimer: I attended a Disney Charity dinner in hopes I could sneak away and get to steal the rights to Zootopia. Couldn't get out unfortunately. Place was surrounded by guards with Mickey Mouse shaped badges. Won a silent auction item though. Big blue suit for me and a beautiful yellow dress for my wife. It also came with a surprising amount of furniture which I didn't expect. Problem is, I think it's all haunted. It all seems to move on it's own and if I knew I wasn't totally insane I'd swear they have eyes as well. The clock is looking at me. RIGHT. FREAKING. NOW. And that's not the worst of it. Late at night? When everyone is sleeping? I swear I can hear someone softly singing "Be our guest..."

**_Saturday Afternoon: Trisha and Sarah P.O.V._ **

There was only so much attention a doe could get before it became too overwhelming. Fortunately for Trisha Rose, that limit didn't seem to exist, or if it did, she had never met it. After being swarmed by nearly three hundred bunnies, even carried off by a couple dozen kits, the only thing the brown rabbit was feeling was happy. She was finally experiencing what a big family felt like, even if it wasn't really hers. After they had arrived and Judy had shown her to their rooms for the weekend, she had gone back up to the Great Room and spent nearly an hour playing with all of the young kits. She hadn't been completely alone when she was younger. She had several brothers she used to play with all the time but it was a lot more fun to play games like 'Imagination' when there were dozens of other bunnies to add to the story.

She felt as if very little time had passed before Judy had appeared, telling her they were all headed to the festival. With a groan and several loud cries of disappointment behind her, Trisha promised she would try to spend some more time playing if she got back from the fair early enough. Considering she imagined the 'Winter Harvest' festival would be something small and mainly uninteresting to her, she intended to make that play date.

Now on her way to the fairgrounds with her traveling companions, the brown doe found herself keeping in stride with her cop buddies, though consciously lagging behind just a bit to sneak peeks at Judy's bobbing tail. While she would never break up anyone's relationship, she never forbid herself from checking out the menu, even if the specials were discontinued. She wasn't focused on one entree though as she took in the swishing red and black tipped tail of her friend's mate. Seeing Jessica looking at her out of the corner of her eye, she turned her gaze to the left to wink at the doe, getting a mischievous smile in return before the other gray doe fell back to her struggling fennec boyfriend.

With her companions coupled up and discussing their own thing, Trisha was the odd doe out. She contented herself with gazing at the scenery around her, taking in sights she had never been exposed to in the flesh. Crop fields, while boring as watching grass grow, was at least something she could now say she had seen. And seen. And seen again as they passed their fifth field in the last two miles. It was becoming a monotonous and tedious walk at that point, the fair being the only thing worth traveling for, which she guessed was going to be a major letdown for someone like her who had visited every major one back in the city.

It was during the ascension of what must have been her thousandth hill that she caught sight of something a fair distance off the trail they were currently on. Glancing behind her, she was surprised to see that at some point Jessica and Finnick had wandered off or perhaps turned back, leaving the pack to just the three of them. Turning to face forward, Trisha took in the sight of her two cop friends engaged in a rather heated debate about a current case they were not supposed to be working on.

Not interested in being a third wheel and deciding that the fair probably wasn't worth her time, the doe casually jumped the trail and headed towards the large weeping willow tree beckoning to her in the middle of a field of wildflowers. The idea of nestling into the grass under its shady trunk was more than motivating to skip the rest of the walk.

Reaching the tree's edge, she pushed through the start of the drooping branches, slowly moving towards the truck inevitably in the center. Emerging into what seemed like another world, Trisha spun in the tiny shafts of sunlight glinting through the gaps in the leaves. She had always loved willow trees, spending hours beneath the one outside of her childhood home. And this one was far older and much larger than that. Circling the trunk, she tried to determine the best spot to lay down for a nice nap.

It was when she nearly tripped over another rabbit around the other side of the trunk that she paused. Not expecting any company to be this far away from any burrow or farm she could see, the sight took the bunny off guard. Surprisingly, the other doe had not even glanced up, being so entranced with her novel that being stepped on was not a concern for her.

Taking a step back, Trisha took a moment to appraise the young rabbit at her feet. She was an intriguing sight. Wearing a bright yellow sun dress with one strap having slid partially down her right shoulder, she was a very enticing figure. But it was her fur that mystified her.

While white may been the original canvas, whoever the painter was that had created this bunny certainly was inspired. A pool of jet blackness flowed over one ear, traveling across her eye and coming to rest along the line of her throat. A gray like that of a storm cloud hovered along the other appendage. But her uniqueness did not end there.

A misshapen patch of brown dotted her shoulder, partially covered over by the remaining strap of her dress. And finally, below the hem of cloth, stretched two beautiful, muscular legs, each the same dark brown color of her own but with small streaks of white through the dark fur.

She could have stared at the doe for hours but felt it was rather rude of her to continue intruding upon her private sanctum without so much as introducing herself. Also that it was probably creepy for her to just be standing there while imagining where the color changes started underneath that dress. "Hey beautiful."

The effect was instantaneous and thoroughly predictable. "GYAH!" Two paws flung themselves into the air, catapulting the book up into the tree's lowest branches, the object becoming stuck.

"Hey, sorry girl. Didn't mean to startle you so badly. Almost tripped over ya so I just wanted to make myself known." She became concerned at the shallow breaths the other doe was taking. "You alright, cutie?"

Rubbing her chest in an effort to slow her heart, the other bunny nodded, keeping her eyes off the brown doe in front of her. "I'm fine, thank you. I'm sorry if I caused you any problems. I'll just grab my book and head home." Looking up at the book firmly lodged in place several feet above her head, she gazed at sadly. "I think I'll just go home and come back for it another day."

Trisha reached out and tried to grab her arm as she turned to walk away but she was just out of reach. "Hold up. Why are you leaving?" Trisha's ears began to droop as she watched the lovely doe hurry away. The brown bunny took in a deep breath and ran a paw over her eyes, letting her gaze travel upward. The sight of the book accidentally tossed in the tree was a few branches up, well out of reach. At least it would be, if one was a normal rabbit. Trisha, having worked at the 10-7 bar for quite a while, had learned how to become a sort of expert climber due to patrons sometimes wanting something from the top shelf. She had learned how to create climbing paths just by looking at something. And with the crisscrossing branches making a relatively simple path, she began moving quickly. From branch to branch, she hauled herself up and leaped to the next. Within a few seconds, she had collected the book and sat straddling the larger branch beneath her.

Having retrieved the mystery bunny's book, Trisha looked down to see her just about to leave the safety of the willow. She had to think of way to keep her from leaving or she might lose the chance to talk to the pretty doe. Looking down at the book in her paw, Trisha noticed the pages were very dog-eared, the spine and cover worn to the point of falling off. It had obviously been read many times. Her ears perking up, she quickly came up with an idea. There was always a fail-proof way to get a book worm talking.

"So whats the book about?"

The white doe froze mid step. Deciding it would be best to give a quick answer and then be on her way, she turned to look at where she had last scene Trisha and her eyes darted around when she couldn't find her. A giggle coming from above her had her looking up and gasping in surprise. "How did you get up there so quick?"

"Magic!" Trisha teased. "You didn't answer my question, cutie." Trisha had heard of what happens to white rabbits when they blush, but she had never expected it to be so drastic, the redness turning her entire face pink. It was especially interesting as the black fur on the one side of her face did not change color at all.

"It's um...it's about a rabbit princess who sneaks away from her castle but gets caught by a dragon. And the knight her parents send fails so the stable boy goes and outsmarts the dragon and marries the princess."

"Oh so it's a romance novel." Noticing the averted eyes and the return of her blush, Trisha waggled her brows with a grin on her lips. "Oh so it's _that_ kind of romance novel. I see."

"Yes. So I can just take that book and be on my way," Sarah said nervously as she looked to the ground.

"Or you can stay here and share this nice tree with me!" Trisha suggested happily. Still flipping through the worn pages.

"Nobody wants to share anything with me. We both know it. So please don't tease me like this. It's not fun for me to constantly be humiliated by my own species." Trisha's eyes widened at those words.

"Hey now. Why would anyone want to hurt a beautiful thing like you?" Trisha could see the other rabbit was stunned when she referred to her as 'beautiful' though she could not understand why. The unique colors and swirls on her very attractive body made her very beautiful indeed.

"Who...Who are you?" The question, though a common one, was uttered in a manner of hesitancy. One that betrayed a small desperation of hope.

"My name's Trisha. I just came into town for this _harvest fair_ or whatever it's called. I came with Judy Wilde and her mate, Nick. Do you know them?"

A small look of understanding swept over the doe's face, one that showed immense relief and something else that Trisha could not determine. "I would hope so. I'm her sister. Sarah Hopps."

Trisha's eyes lit up but quickly dimmed as she started scratching her neck. "Sarah? Sarah, Sarah...why does that name seem so familiar?"

She raised her brow, unsure if the other rabbit was 'all there.' "Probably because I just told you?"

Snapping her digits, the brown doe let out a triumphant cry. "You're the bunny Nick calls 'Sundae' aren't you?" With a sigh, but one laced with a trace of happiness at the silly name, Sarah nodded.

"Yeah, that's me. I didn't know Judy was bringing anyone else along this weekend. I had only heard that Jessica's fox friend was coming." She was relaxing a little around the new doe, but still avoided looking directly at her, knowing that while she may not seem too shocked by her fur colors, though she wasn't sure if that was a reality or just an act, there was one aspect of her appearance that almost no one was able to get by.

"Well, I was a last minute addition to the group. Just decided to come this morning. Judy was excited but I think Nick agreed mainly so I wouldn't be sleeping naked on their couch again."

"I-...what?" Trisha laughed at the bewilderment on Sarah's face. Out of context that sentence could be taken many ways, but none of them were good.

"Long story. So what are you doing way out here all by your lonesome? I mean this tree is killer but it seems a long ways to go for a reading spot." Deciding that she was going to make herself comfortable, Trisha leaped up into a nook in the trunk, kicking her feet in a cheerful manner.

This made Sarah pause. To her family and, if she was honest with herself, the rest of Bunnyburrow, the reasons for separating herself from everyone else was very clear. She wasn't wanted. She had found some acceptance at college, although any rabbits from the Tri-Burrows tended to stay away from her. Most of her friends were from other species who were routinely impressed with the young doe's knowledge and tenacity. But here was a rabbit she did not know. One that didn't seem to flinch or cower or sneer. A city bunny who was friends with her cop sister, accepting her for being unconventional. Maybe she could be her friend too.

"Nobody really wants me around. So I tend to make myself scarce whenever I'm home from college. Helps make it easier on everyone. Plus I don't have to deal with the whispers and glares." It hurt her to admit it out loud, as it always did. When she pretended that she was just a solitary bunny, it made it slightly easier even though it was a lie. But explaining it to someone was another story. There was no hiding from her own words.

"Why on Earth would anyone want to glare at you? Who are you talking about?" Having grown up in the suburbs, Trisha had not seen many mammals discriminated against. It had been a shock to her when she moved to Zootopia that foxes and weasels were treated as badly as they were. But never had she heard of bunnies being made outcasts, especially not since Judy had proven everyone wrong by being the first rabbit officer.

"My family." Having a response on the tip of her tongue, Trisha was forced to swallow it at those words. "I mean my parents have always loved me. And Judy and Jessica have too. But being born... _different_ ," she waved a paw around her head and then down her body, "has made it so almost no one else can stand to be near me or look at me without being disgusted. No one wants to be linked to a... _quad."_ The last part was whispered almost so Trisha couldn't hear her.

Putting a paw over her breaking heart, Trisha hopped back down before moving over to the colorful doe. Spreading her arms wide, she embraced the now morose bunny. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. Nobody should have to feel like that, especially not from family."

Having stiffened up as the arms encircled her, Sarah found the touch strange before it melted into a pleasant feeling. Only rarely having been touched let alone hugged by someone other than her parents or two sisters, the embrace was far too comforting and she felt herself leaning into it before she came to her senses and pulled away, clearing her throat. "Umm, thanks Trisha. For that." Embarrassed, Sarah made to leave again until a brown paw reached for hers.

"Please don't go yet." She wasn't sure why, but Trisha didn't want the doe to leave. "I could, um, use a guide. Take a tour around town? I haven't been out in the country before so I wouldn't mind seeing the sights."

"You...I don't think you want to do that. I'm not exactly someone people like to be seen around." The sincerity and conviction of her words was tearing the city rabbit apart.

"Fuck 'em." The brash statement brought a tinge of red to white doe's cheeks. "I've never been one to care about what others think of me. Who I want to spend my time with is nobody's business but my own." While the words weren't much for eloquence, the meaning behind them was quite clear and Sarah found herself becoming quite intrigued by the city rabbit.

"Well, I suppose we can do that if you want. We can try the fair-" Trisha grimaced at that, having lost her taste for what promised to be a mediocre affair, "-or not. I would suggest touring the town but we really don't have much in the way of anything interesting. After being in the city for college, being back here is awfully boring. Hmm...Is there anything you're interested in?"

"Honestly? I grew up in a suburb and then moved to a jungle made of concrete, steel, and glass. I wouldn't mind getting to see an actual forest and meadows that weren't mammal-made for once. Would you mind if we just...walked around?" Though she couldn't know, Trisha had just made Sarah very happy. Not only would she able to learn more about this mammal who she might be able to befriend, but she wouldn't need to be around other members of her family or be shunned by other mammals.

"I wouldn't mind that. I wouldn't mind that at all."

* * *

They had spent much of the afternoon simply wandering wherever their feet took them. There had been many more grassy hills but Trisha found them pleasant now that she had a companion to travel them with her. They had kept themselves entertained with stories about their respective towns, Sarah going into some of the history of Bunnyburrow and how the large family systems worked with the farming trades, Trisha had regaled her with tales of suburban life with a small amount of siblings. Both found it fascinating but they also could sense the other was holding back.

Trisha was the first to give in, wanting to ask the burning question that had been plaguing her ever since they left the willow tree behind. "Sundae...Um, is it okay if I call you Sundae?"

With an embarrassed giggle, Sarah nodded. "Of course, Trisha. I'd like that a lot really."

Beaming, the brown doe flashed her bright blues through half-lids. "Okay, _Sundae,"_ The way she said it made the white doe tremble, though she did not understand why, "can we discuss more about what we were talking about under the tree? About why others felt they needed to avoid you?" The look of dismay flashing across her face was enough for Trisha to try and reverse course. "If it's a sensitive topic I understand. We don't need to go into it."

"No. No, it's okay. It's... _hard_ to talk about, but I think it may be helpful this once." For some unknown reason she did in fact feel it would be beneficial for her to talk about her childhood experiences, even though she had only known the other doe for a few hours. "I suppose I should explain what being a 'quad' is. I gather you aren't familiar with it considering your confusion earlier." Sitting down halfway up their current hill they were ascending, Sarah laid back against the grass, staring up into the sky. Trisha followed suit and soon the two does were silently gazing up into the clouds.

"Sometimes when a bunny is being born, there are mutations that can cause fur discolorations. Single tone is the category you fall under. Minus the belly and inside of the ears, of course. It's the most common. You can sometimes find two-tone where white streaks fall onto darker fur or a lighter brown running along darker brown. Or where an ear might be a different color than the rest of the body." Reaching up, she gestured to her gray ear, pulling it down slightly. Trisha noticed a few patches of white throughout the gray. "I'm what you would call a quad-tone. Black," sweeping a paw over each colored area as she named them off, "gray, brown, and white. Four colors that weren't meant to exist on one body. It's a very rare genetic anomaly." Deciding to go all-in, Sarah took a deep breath the calm her nerves. "It also came with...another _unique_ trait." She had spent the entire afternoon keeping her eyes from the other bunny but it was now or never. She turned and looked directly into the sapphire orbs she had been sneaking peeks at during their walk.

Trisha's gasp was like a shard of ice, the coldness plunging to her very core. She was about to turn away when a brown paw cradled her cheek, holding her steady. Trisha had never seen eyes like the white doe had. They shone like crystal but with the color of a pale rose. _Rose. How fitting,_ Trisha mused, inwardly chuckling. They were fascinating. They were unique. And they were "beautiful."

"W-what did you say?" The flustered voice brought the doe from her trance, realizing that she had accidentally spoke her thoughts out loud. Knowing she was trapped either way, she decided just to be honest, with both herself and Sarah.

"I said your eyes were beautiful." Trisha was never one to pull her punches, whether it was cursing out a drunk firefighter or flirting with a lovely doe.

Sarah was stunned. Never had anyone complimented her eyes. The nicest thing she had ever heard was from a fellow student at the college who called them 'unique.' But beautiful? She couldn't believe it. Refused to. It was something from one of her dreams. It wasn't real. It would never be real.

"Thank you. That's very kind of you to say." With Trisha not knowing how to respond to that, a silence fell between the two of them. Strangely, it wasn't an empty one. The two seemed simply content with staring at the clouds drifting by. Eventually though, Trisha began to fidget. She was not exactly the most patient of rabbits which was saying something.

"I'd like to explore the woods. Would you be up for leading a city girl through a deep, dark forest?" Batting her long lashes, Trisha gave her a cute pout. 'you wouldn't want a poor doe like me getting lost, would you?"

Against her better judgment, Sarah giggled at the bunny's antics. "Alright, alright. Just turn off the cute, would you?" Pushing herself to her feet, she offered her paw to the doe to help her stand. Though it should not have been anything special, the touch of Trisha's paw on her own sent a shock throughout her figure, infusing her with a warm tingle. Distracted, she stumbled over her next words. "There uh...um...woods dark. I mean, heh, there's no dark woods. Here. In Bunnyburrow. Where we are."

Trisha could not help but find the doe adorable. Grown in body, she was still so naive in matters of the world beyond what she had been exposed to at her college, where she would guess that she didn't spend much time socializing. A little bit of flirting and interaction had her beyond flustered. It was both exciting to know she had this effect on her, but also saddening to know exactly _why_ that was. It was certainly a sobering thought, having family abandon her because of a stupid superstition.

"Well, I can't promise I won't act like it's a deep, dark forest. So if you see me running and screaming about invisible monsters just ignore the crazy bunny with the overactive imagination." Sarah laughed at the joke, finding the image in her head rather humorous.

Little did she know that it had not been a joke at all. Indeed merely twenty minutes later as they were traveling down a path between the trees, the brown doe began leaping around, letting out soft shrieks about monsters and demons and savage bunnies. That last had caught Sarah off guard causing her to cough in-between her laughs. She was amazed to see her scrambling up trees much the way squirrels would do, jumping from branch to branch, scrabbling at the trunk with her tiny claws. "Where on earth did you learn to climb? Judy is the best at it around here but even she doesn't come close to what you can do."

Hanging from a branch one-pawed, Trisha shot her a wink before swinging forward and letting herself fly to the next one. "Used to climb when I was a kit. Me and my brothers would hold races. We'd wager desserts on who was the fastest. Soon I started winning every day. That's when the contests stopped." Scrabbling higher up the trunk, she planted her hind paws against the wood and pushed off, catching the largest branch of the tree across from her. Sarah was astounded at the feat, watching the brown bunny soar nearly thirty feet through the air. "When I started working at the 10-7, that's the First Responders bar, I didn't realize they hadn't put in any accommodations for small sized mammals like us. So getting drinks from the top shelf wasn't exactly a treat. Had to start getting creative. Eventually I settled back on my climbing from my kit-hood. Soon it became almost a show, the patrons amazed by my climbing ability. Although I'm pretty there were a couple just trying to peak under my shorts or ogle my tail." Flicking her tail at her to accentuate her point, it was impossible not to giggle at the look on the white doe's face, her eyes having opened wide.

Now well up into the tree tops, Trisha pushed herself higher until she had reached the canopy. The sky was nearly within reach. It would be so easy to push through, move past the last barrier of leaves and... _Bingo!_ With her body now above the forest, Trisha was free to gaze upon all that surrounded her. The valleys and meadows stretched forever below. She followed the edge of a crop field all the way to the red silo of a barely visible farm. Behind her stood a pair of twin peak mountains with a tremendous river flowing between them. "Sundae," she breathed. "This is amazing!" A muffled reply from below told her that the doe couldn't hear her. Ducking down, she opened her mouth to yell louder when the branch under her left foot broke free. Finding herself no longer supported by anything but air, she felt the wind rush past her cheeks, blowing her ears back behind her head. Her natural reaction to scream vanished from her ability as her chest slammed into a large branch, causing her to cartwheel out of control. It was often said that when facing one's own mortality, their life flashes before their eyes. For Trisha, she saw nothing except bark and leaves speeding past her on her wild descent.

Only by the saving grace of her flailing paw catching a branch near the ground did she manage to hit the forest floor without losing her life or at least breaking a limb. The incident was not without cost, however. She rolled onto her paws and knees and immediately emptied her lunch onto the pine needles she had laid upon. She found herself gasping for air, her chest burning from the impact.

"Trisha!" Concern and desperation evident in her voice, Sarah ran as fast as she could to the brown doe's side. "Okay. Okay. Lay back, hon. Alright, here." Pulling a pen light from her pocket, something she had been taught to always carry on her person, she shined a light into the doe's eyes, checking for pupil dilation. "Okay, nothing wrong there. Keep your eyes on me, I'm gonna turn your head gently, okay?" Having seen her move when rolling over, Sarah was not worried about anything being broken, but she could have hurt her neck in the fall so she made sure to go slow. Being more concerned with her patient, she missed the small shudder that came over Trisha as her paws laid on her cheeks. "Okay, everything looks okay there." Moving her paws to the bunny's chest, Trisha's breath caught in her throat until she realized Sarah was examining her ribs, fearing there may be some fractures after hitting the branch. A sharp pain washed over her when white paws pressed upon her lower ribs. "Sorry. Well, I have some good news and bad news. The good news is you look like you're gonna be okay. No concussion, no broken bones. But your ribs will be tender for the rest of the day. I don't think you'll see any bruising though."

Groaning, Trisha placed a paw on her abdomen. "Give it to me straight, doc. What's the bad news?"

"You definitely lost out on dessert tonight."

With a horrified look, a brown arm covered the doe's face. "Oh woe is me. Fifteen years a champion, brought down by a tiny branch." She started to giggle but quickly stopped, gasping and pressing her paw against her ribs. "Ow. No laughing for this doe. Got it."

"Here." Sarah sat next to her, placing her back against the nearest trunk. Hauling the doe to her, she placed Trisha's brown head in her lap. "Try and get some rest. We'll head back when you're feeling a bit better." Touched by the gesture, Trisha reached up and intertwined the doe's paw with her own.

"Thank you, Sundae." Her eyes closed and within minutes, her breathing had slowed as she slipped into sleep.

"You're welcome," Sarah murmured. Feeling an overwhelming desire to be closer, she stroked the ears of the doe laying in her lap, trying to figure out exactly what was happening to her.

* * *

It was nearly evening before Trisha awoke in the forest. Normally waking up in a strange place, for example bedrooms of the mammals she had been intimate with the night before, caused her a great deal of confusion. This time though, even finding herself in the middle of a forest, she knew exactly where she was. It could have been the slight ache in her ribs but she had a strong suspicion it was due to a certain doe.

Comforted by the softness of Sarah's paw along her ears, Trisha tried to stay still, wanting to make the moment on tranquility last. Despite her best efforts at keeping them shut, her eyes began to betray her. Inch by inch they slowly crept open, her bright blues revealing themselves to the world. Revealing the world to her. And it was the reveal of that world that brought a smile to her lips.

Sarah hadn't moved since she had laid the doe's head in her lap. While the trunk of the tree behind her had been uncomfortable starting out, a few places of stripped bark and a little shimmying around eventually put her in a decent enough position to remain. With her knees tucked alongside her body, and her book in paw, she was quite content to remain where she was, stroking the bunny's ears as she lay recovering. It appeared to be such a wonderful moment that Trisha was loathe to disturb it, especially with the ministrations she was receiving on her ears, but time does eventually move on and so must they. Giving the appearance of just starting to wake, she felt the doe's paw pull away. It was the empty feeling of having them vanish that made Trisha pause in her acting.

She had been on the receiving end of several ear rubdowns in her life. Both from buck and doe alike. Even a painted dog on the ZPD's bomb detection force once. But while all of them felt great, none of them had made her long to feel their paws return like Sarah had. It was just another reason she was finding the young doe so interesting.

"Oh good. You're awake." Acting as nonchalant as she could, not wanting the other rabbit to know she had spent nearly an hour stroking her ears for reasons she really did not want to explain, Sarah made a few exaggerated observations to make it seem like she was simply concerned about her well being. "Everything looks okay. Any nausea? Dizziness? Breathing okay?" Trisha knew she was only acting on her training but it really was quite cute to have her own personal doctor out here. _Hey maybe she'd be up for a round of playing 'doctor.'_ Embarrassed at the sudden dirty twist her mind had taken, she mentally shook herself while trying to hide the blush spreading along her face. _Stop it. Bad bunny._

_I bet she'd love a bad bu-_

_AH! None of that. This is Judy's sister-_

_Her insanely HOT sister!_

_...Well, be that as it may, we are NOT going to hurt Judy by making her sister another one of our search and failures._

_Why does it have to be?_

_What?_

_Why does it have to be a failure? I mean, we obviously have feelings of some sort for this doe. Why can't we just see where it might go? Take a chance._

Trisha's inner turmoil had caused her to space for a short while but it was long enough for the white doe to become concerned. "Trisha. Can you hear me, Trisha." Snapping her digits in front of her eyes resulted in no change. "Trisha? Time to come back now. Come on back. Listen to my voice." With a start, the brown bunny became alert once more, her eyes refocusing and seeing two bright pink eyes staring into her own.

Noticing the worried expression and crease along her brow, Trisha realized she must have given Sarah quite a fright. "Sorry, cutie. Was having a bit of a talk with myself. Didn't mean to scare you."

Relieved that her new friend was alright, Sarah stood from her kneeling position and offered her paw to the other bunny who quickly grabbed it. It took only a slight pull for Trisha to spring straight up as if nothing had happened to her and she hadn't spent the last hour asleep on the ground after falling over forty feet from a tree. The white doe started to pull away but found her paw still in the grip of the wild bunny. She could somehow sense a war within the city mammal. Could almost see the battle raging within. It wasn't until her head dropped and raised again, a determined look of steel in her brilliant orbs, that Sarah realized a side had won.

The stretch of a dark brown paw towards her cheek made the young doe's breath catch in her throat. _Is this real? Please tell me this is real._ Nearly brushing the fur beneath her digits, Trisha seemed to lose her nerve at the end, choosing for her paw to land on the doe's shoulder instead. Sarah internally sighed. _I knew it wasn't re-wait. What is she doing?_ While her paw may have changed course, Trisha's lips had not. The smooth skin met the soft fur of her cheek, lingering far longer than it probably should have. _Oh my god._ Sarah was having difficulty breathing after having been touched in such a way. No one had ever been intimate with her. She had never had a boyfriend, never even asked to a slumber party where boys and girls would pair off and go into the closet for several minutes.

"Thank you, Sundae." The soft voice shook her from her depressing thoughts of days past. "Thank you for helping me. Thank you for making sure I was okay." Looking down but keeping the doe in her sights, she gazed up through her lashes, a sly smile coming across her lips. "And thank you for the ear rub. It felt amazing." Yanking her paw away in shock, Sarah turned her head so that it wouldn't reveal her furious blush, though unfortunately for her Trisha could see it along the back of her gray ear.

"You umm, you knew about that?" Somehow she kept her voice even though she was mortified at having been exposed. It had been a struggle to keep her paws to herself but she eventually lost the battle, convincing herself it was to relax the brown bunny after her injuries.

"Kinda hard to ignore, as good as it felt." Once again, white fur was tinged heavily with red. "Honestly I'm surprised I slept at all with how that was making me feel. You're really good at that. Get a lot of practice, do you? How many does have you seduced by bringing them into the woods and playing with their ears?"

"You're the first." Wide-eyed, she slapped a paw to her mouth, wishing a hopeless wish that she could take back those words which had caused the brown doe's brow to rise and a smile lift the corners of her lips. "That's not what I meant! I mean you're the first doe, uh, _bunny_ , I mean mammal! That I've ever brought here." The words she had spoken touched something deep within herself. Eyes of wild desperation trying to recover from her misspeak changed to ones of somber reflection. With a hanging head, she whispered under her breath so that Trisha would not hear her, though the attempt was in vain. "First mammal I've gone anywhere with. First one to spend any time with me ever."

With each reveal into Sarah's past, Trisha found her heart breaking. No one should ever have to feel so alone, she thought. _I'm gonna make this day unforgettable. "_ Hey Sundae. What else is there to do around here? I mean the valleys were nice and the forest was... _memorable,"_ She winced, putting a paw to her slightly tender ribs. "But what else can we do around here? Something fun! Day's not over yet, cutie."

Stunned to her very core, both by the flirt and also by the true desire the doe was showing in wanting to spend time with her, Sundae could do nothing more than blush while wracking her brain for ideas. Never having had a friend wanting to do things with her she was at a loss, until a stray thought came to her. Something she had done ever since she was a kit, exploring the world on her own. "I have an idea. But we have to wait until after sundown."

* * *

With sundown being at least a couple hours away, the two does had decided they would catch an early dinner before going around town and seeing a few of the sights available. Sarah would never have agreed to do so had it not been for Trisha being with her. The scorns and insults that would be flung her way was enough incentive to never go into town. However, with the city rabbit next to her, she felt stronger. Able to face down even the most vile of lapins, she thought.

They had chosen a small restaurant run by an elderly ewe. As Sarah had told her, it was only bunnies that had a problem with her appearance, the superstition being limited to old fashioned rabbit culture. The dinner was uneventful other than a couple out on a date sneering at them as they hurried by the outside cafe table they were currently seated at. Apparently Sarah was well known around town, though only by reputation, as their server made sure to give them a stellar experience, going above and beyond in his attempt to make sure the doe felt welcome. Trisha may have been tight on cash, still not making as much as she would like at the bar, but she made sure she gave the young ram, obviously the owner's grandson, a sizable tip in gratitude.

After, they had wandered around town, though as she had warned the city bunny there was very little to see. They did stop in to Gideon Gray's pastry shop. As children, Sarah had been third on the list of his most tormented mammals, the first being Judy and the second being her sheep friend, Sharla. Since he had turned over a new leaf, they had all forgiven each other, attempting and succeeding to eventually become friends.

It was a surprise to the mixed rabbit to see that exact ewe in the shop, not having heard Sharla was back in town, but did not really think too much of it. It may have been near closing time but the fresh cup of coffee and new batch of scones told her that the sheep wasn't leaving anytime soon. Having heard a few tales from the dynamic duo about Gideon, Trisha may have been a little harsh on the fox when she first entered. But after speaking with him and realizing how big a softie he was, she eventually warmed up to him. Making sure to grab a few pastries, Sarah led them back onto the street, only to find Trisha was not next to her. Spinning back towards the shop, she saw her leaned in close to the ewe, whispering something she couldn't hear through the glass. Whatever it was had the sheep blushing hard enough to see through her black wool, her eyes flitting towards the back of the shop. A slight nod from her had the brown bunny grinning widely before she slapped her on the back and joyfully skipped out the door.

"What was that all about?" The innocence of her question had Trisha chuckling. Playfully bumping her hip into the farm girl's, she closed the gap and whispered into her ear.

The hot breath ruffling her fur had the mixed doe shivering, her mind flashing to thoughts she had not experienced in a while but was increasing exponentially as the day went on. "I'll tell you when you're older, cutie." She had been so distracted that she had nearly forgotten the question, but upon remembering she took playful offense to the cheeky response and leaned down to flick the brown doe's tail. This got her attention, the action causing her to leap upward in the air letting out a shrill 'Eep!'

Landing back on her paws with her head down, Trisha mumbled something Sarah couldn't quite make out. "Pardon?" The mumbling was repeated, slightly louder but still unintelligible. "Sorry, what?"

Now raising her head, her eyes glinted with mischief while gazing at the doe. "I said 'Run little rabbit.'" It took only a moment for the words to register in Sarah's mind, but already Trisha was lunging forward. Barely dodging the leap, Sarah took off running, squealing with glee. This was another childhood pastime that had been denied her. A simple game of chase, one played by all 275 of her siblings, was always closed to her. With Judy always looking to be a cop, she would only want to play cops and robbers. Jessica was interested in boys from the time she was ten. And with no one else willing to stand against the horde, Sarah could only sit on the hill, out of sight, and watch from afar. But now, now she was playing. And Trisha looked like she was playing for keeps. Neither seemed to really care that they were still in the center of town though they tried to avoid the road and stick to the park.

"Ahh!" A near miss had her heart pumping, the beat steadily rising from a mixture of excitement and fear. "Can't catch me, Trisha. I'm a Hopps. We always wi-WHOA!" The taunt, while emboldening herself, gave the other doe a drive causing her to lunge, her paws barely missing the waist of her target.

"Maybe for Judy that's true. But I can tell that you don't have the same tenacity." The doe was fast, faster than she had expected. Highly agile, she made her dodges and turns seem almost effortless. Deciding to end this on her terms, Trisha took a risk, based on the signs she had been receiving all day. "Besides. I think you actually want me to catch you."

This made the white doe nearly stumble. "W-what?" Sarah, her ears now blushing a deep red, could not conceal the stutter or her nervousness from the other bunny's words. Slowly, all day long, she had been finding herself swept up in silly fantasies. She knew they were foolish as she had only just met her sister's friend and she also knew that it was most likely due to her being the first rabbit to ever actually show her any attention of affection.

"Oh c'mon, Sundae. We both know you're getting tired. You want this to end so you can take a break." _The fact that my body will end up wrapped around yours during the tackle is just a bonus. Though for me or for you. That's what I keep having to ask myself..._ Her ruse did seem to have worked, if only on just a subconscious level. Sarah had slowed enough for Trisha to make up the gap and leapt onto the bunny, knocking her to the ground causing both of them to roll on the grass until they came to a stop. The brown bunny the one on top. Sarah could only stare into the playful smile of the victor, but it had her smiling in return. It may have been a short match, but it was definitely memorable, both as her first, and also her favorite. "Thanks for the run, Sundae." Bringing her face closer, her smile grew as Sarah's eyes became wider. Giving her a peck on the nose, she booped her playfully before getting up and tossing her floppy ears behind her. "We should do this again sometime."

With her mind reeling from the kiss, even though it was nothing more than a friendly one from a flirty bunny, Sarah found herself unable to leave the grass. Perhaps it was because of her legs feeling so weak or it was just that she was caught off guard. Needless to say though, the idea of getting up never occurred to her until an offered paw appeared in front of her. "Need some help?" There it was again, she mused. The playful tone mixed with concern Trisha had taken to using during her interactions with the doe. A thought of grabbing the paw and yanking her back down on top of her flitted through her mind before fleeing back deep into the recesses of her cautious nature. Instead, she grasped it and let the brown rabbit haul her to her feet.

"That was a lot of fun. It's getting towards sundown though. Was there somewhere special we had to be for this surprise?" Sarah gave a start at that, turning towards the horizon to see the sun becoming low in the sky.

"Oh gosh! We have to hurry!" Grabbing Trisha's paw, the mixed doe hauled her forward in a run. Bemusedly, the brown bunny followed closely, making sure not to step on the back of her feet. They weaved around mammals and between parked cars, pushing through large crowds with surprising ease. Trisha was beginning to understand more about what Sarah experienced on a daily basis as she watched throngs of bunnies part around them, either cursing the doe or becoming fearful and pulling back. It angered her to think she had been forced into solitude for more than twenty years but knew there was nothing she could change about those times. Only what she could do now.

Within minutes, they had reached the edge of the town and came within view of the festival. Having been her original destination before all of the fun chaos that afternoon, she took a close look, wondering if that was where they were headed. She had been right in that it really did not look like something she would enjoy. The rides were fairly mediocre to someone who was used to giant roller coasters and gravity defying loops. And the old fashioned bottle and can games didn't stand a chance of competing with the matches of laser tag she would do at the boardwalk. Thankfully though, Sarah led her away from the entrance to a dirt path leading down the hill. Almost sunset, she started panicking slightly. "Hurry! We're gonna miss it!"

Almost taking a tumble with how strong she was being pulled down the hill, Trisha managed to catch herself by wrapping an arm around the other doe's waist. Suddenly the urgency of where they were headed didn't seem to matter to either doe. Freezing in place, Sarah couldn't bring herself to turn her head, afraid that even in the dying light that her blush would be all too visible. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I almost fell. I didn't mean to grab you like that. Unless you wanted me to."

Letting out a short little squeak, Sarah tried to speak but found no voice within, leading the mixed doe to clear her throat and try again. "It's umm...It's okay. Don't worry about it. The umm, the spot is just over here." Slowly gaining the ability to move her legs again, Sarah led them a little ways further down the path to where an ancient log rested. It had obviously seen a lot of use over the years. Multiple initials were carved within hearts or lewd scratches that had been clawed off only to be replaced further down the bark. Taking a seat in one of the worn indentations, she quickly patted the one next to her, indicating for Trisha to join her. She did so with a light smile, keeping her eyes on the doe. "Okay. Here it comes. Watch right out there." Turning her head, figuring she was going to humor her new friend about something as irrelevant as a sunrise, she found herself caught in a beauty unlike anything she had ever seen.

The sun's last rays had lit up the horizon, piercing the dark purple hues of the growing night sky. The trees were bathed in brilliant orange, seemingly as if nature had been set ablaze. An icy river flowing before them seemingly glowed as if made of molten gold. She had never seen such a sunset in her entire life. She was seeing more of the specialty of nature in her one day there than in her entire life. In awe of the moment, she turned back to the doe to see an even more breathtaking sight.

And there in the fade of twilight, was a breathtaking creature. Black as the darkest of midnight. Silver from the lining of the clouds. White of the purest snow. And the brown of the earth, stolen from the very captivated bunny much as her breath had been done. It was a vision such as that of an angel as far as she was concerned. And it frightened her.

The calm, cool, and collected Trisha Rose. One who has withstood pain and anguish. Humiliation and fear. Spent every night in a god forsaken hole in the wall waiting for the next drunk or high criminal to bust down her door. The rabbit who had endured all was finding herself unable to handle a seat next to a pretty, young doe from a farm. One whose paw she now found her own intertwined with as the last ray of the sun disappeared and the stars began to shine.

Behind them, lights from the carnival rides had flared up, though unlike the city these lights were not enough to blanket out the heavens, and the tiny pinpricks of light from billions of stars in their small corner of the universe were revealed. "Come. I want to show you something else." Her companion had stood, still keeping their paws tightly woven together. Trisha could think of no good reason to not go with her, the butterflies suddenly appearing in her stomach not being one of them. It would not do for her to refuse simply because she found herself wondering if she may be attracted to the doe in a more serious manner than she first thought.

They didn't travel far together, though it was enough so that the light from the rides was minimized, no longer interfering with their view above. Sarah had led them towards a small area of compressed grass. Shaped in the form of a single bunny. One who had been out there many, many times. Always alone. Trisha could not help herself and looked to the mixed rabbit. Where she had been expecting a somber expression, she was both confused and delighted to find a smile gracing her lips. Though it was plain to see she visited this spot often, it apparently was one that brought her joy, perhaps the stars above making her feel not quite so alone knowing that out there, just maybe, there was someone else staring at the same star feeling the same way. And that they might share their loneliness together.

Wordlessly, Sarah lay down on the grass, patting the indent for Trisha to lay next to her. Feeling slightly guilty about taking the one place where the grass would not stab at the ears or pinch the tail, she attempted to scooch over but found that helped neither of them. Finally, she wrapped her arms around the white doe and hauled her towards her own body, though not without getting a shocked 'Eep!' from the surprised bunny. "Get over here. I'm cold and you're my new bunny blanket." With Sarah's head now resting on her chest and Trisha's arm encircling her shoulder, both does tried to release a contented sigh without letting the other know. Not being what either had intended, they nevertheless found the sudden change comfortable. And something else neither wanted to admit to themselves or each other.

They stayed like that for many an hour, neither speaking, just enjoying the other's company. Occasionally there would be the stroke of a paw or the flick of an ear. Just small things that would slip by, not ignored but not acknowledged either. Both were silently afraid to mention it for fear the caresses might end. The stars had shone brightly and the occasional shooting star flashed across the night sky. But it was the moon's silvery light illuminating the field around them that set the mood. Blades of grass, ever brightly green during the day, now shone like liquid silver, the light breeze causing them to sway. The beams of moonlight striking the river cast dancing reflections along the banks and the surrounding trees. It was a terrifically romantic setting. And it took everything Trisha had not to lean down and press her lips to the white doe's. She desperately wanted to, and she just knew that Sarah wanted her to as well, but she would not force the doe. She would be patient and let her make the first move. _At least that's what's I'm going to tell myself, knowing I'll probably say to hell with it as I always do. And boy is she pushing the limit of my self control. That sexy fur and gorgeous figure. Alright, she's got until tomorrow morning but then I'm coming for her._

Unknown to her, in Sarah's mind a similar battle raged. _Oh god. I want to kiss her so badly. She's just so...wonderful._ But she knew that the risk was too great. She would succeed in finally expressing her feelings for another but could fail by losing one of the very few friends she had come to know. And she _did_ know this bunny. She was fun. Creative. Ridiculously brave. Kind. Compassionate. And such a tease. Even though no one had ever really flirted with her before, she knew what Trisha was doing with her. The small rubs here and there. A supposedly unconscious graze of a paw along her fur. Subtle changes in her playful tone that belied more forward and suggestive thoughts. None of these were lost on the uncertain rabbit, she just did not know how to act upon them.

Deciding that the night had gone on long enough when they watched the festival shut down for the night, the two does regretfully left their cuddled position in the deep grass and readied for the burrow. Unfortunately after they day they had had, neither of them were really in the mood for a forty-five minute walk home. Trisha was still slightly sore after her escapade with the trees and Sarah had been up late the night before studying. She hadn't anticipated meeting anyone that day so her sleep schedule was now slightly off.

After several minutes of moving towards the trail, Sarah grew anxious, wanting the trip to be over now. Recognizing a section of crop fields to her right, she became excited, knowing they could be home in half the time now. "C'mon. Let's try over here. I think there's a shortcut." Relieved, Trisha gladly hurried after the mixed bunny, diving deep into the tall stalks lining the road, not even questioning their good fortune. Which turned out to be a mistake. A very long and costly one.

"How did we end up in the woods?! I thought this was supposed to be a shortcut to your house?" Thinking they were making remarkable time headed back to the burrow, the two does were dismayed to find that after ten minutes they had emerged into a heavily wooded area. It wasn't the same grove as they had explored earlier in the day so it was completely foreign to Trisha. Unfortunately it was also foreign to Sarah.

"Umm. We, uh...we must have taken a wrong turn?" Shrugging with a sheepish expression on her face, she tried to make it appear to be a friendly mistake, but she wasn't buying it.

"We walked in a straight line, Sundae. We didn't make any turns." Trisha wasn't exactly cross but she wasn't all that pleased either. She was tired and sore and really just wanted to get to the guest room to get some shut eye. Now however she was stuck in the middle of a darkened wood with no idea where she was or how to get back. "Follow me, she says. I'm a doctor, she says. Remind me not to have you do any heart surgery on me. I'd hate to see where you end up in my organs if you can't follow a bleeding map of your own town."

"Wait! I have an idea. I'm fairly certain this is the southeast grove near where the edge of the town is. If we turned and walked..." spinning, she examined the trees carefully, "that way!" She pointed north, only a slight deviation from their current course. "That's where the burrow should be. C'mon!" Now too tired to even care if it was the right way or not, Trisha stumbled behind.

After another fifteen minutes or so, the pair finally found themselves at the end of the fields. Dramatically taking a deep breath as they cleared the crops, the brown doe turned and teased her companion playfully. "Well that was fun. You sure you know your shortcuts, huh Sundae?"

Sarah simply scrunched up her nose and made a face at her companion. "I'm a doctor, not a forest ranger. I never said I knew where I was going." _Technically that's true. I never said for certain that I knew for sure where the 'shortcut' would take us._ "I told you before, nobody wanted me around. So I barely know anything about these fields or the woods over there. I can tell you how many tiles there are in all thirty one bathrooms."

"That's okay, I don't need t-... _Thirty one bathrooms_?!" The sheer shock in her voice as well as on her face had Sarah giggling silently.

"Well, over 300 kits you gotta have a decent amount of bathrooms, right? Imagine how long the wait for the show would be if we didn't have a butt-load of em. Anyway, I was always alone and none of my siblings wanted to play with me. Except Judy. She was always my friend. Always my sister. I missed her when she left." Her smile at reminiscing days gone by turned sad. "I was alone again." Her smile brightened up again. "But not tonight!" Reaching out, she grasped the brown bunny's paw and pulled her in for a tight hug. "Thank you Trisha. Thank you for being with me today. It meant more to me than you'll ever know."

"H-happy to do it, Sundae." The nervousness in her voice came through loud and clear though Sarah was so overjoyed by the memories of their day together that she missed it. Trisha felt warmth spreading throughout her body as she wrapped her own arms back around the white doe in the yellow dress.

Reluctantly, they finally broke apart. "I'm gonna go get some sleep. It was a great day, Trisha. Maybe...maybe you m-might like to do it again? Tomorrow?" It was asked with hope. A hope so strong that the brown bunny could almost feel it emanating from the other rabbit.

Trisha felt a deep longing burning within her. One that told her to sweep the doe off her feet and carry her to the burrow, deep into the belly of the tunnels, and to her bed. She wanted to show her what she felt. How her life was meant to be. Not secluded and shunned, but embraced and loved. She felt it was too soon, though. She did not want to overwhelm her. So she settled for rubbing her paw with her own and locking their eyes together in a heated gaze. "I'd like that." Barely above a whisper, the words felt even more meaningful to Sarah, as if it was a secret wish between just the two of them.

She squealed happily, throwing her arms around Trisha's neck, jumping wildly. "Oh this is going to be so fun. We can go hiking or maybe to the river. Maybe we can even go to the festival. I haven't been to one in years. Oh wait, you don't like the festival, do you?"

"No, that's alright." Knowing how important it would be to Sarah, she decided she could put up with the meager offerings at the fair for an afternoon. "We can go if you want to."

Shaking her head, Sarah quickly killed that argument. "Nuh-uh. I'm not gonna ruin your day with a mediocre festival. I've seen the ones in Zootopia, just never had a chance to go. These ones are pretty poor imitations so I can understand why it wouldn't be all that exciting." Tapping her chin in deep thought, she mulled over some options of where they could go and what they could do. Snapping her digits, a wild and excited look came over her. "I got it! It's perfect. And don't bother asking, I'm not telling." That had the brown rabbit shutting her mouth but causing her to glare playfully at her.

Their feet had carried them along during their banter back and forth and all but open admission of their feelings until they found themselves at the stoop of the Hopps burrow. Sensing the conversation had come to an end, Sarah stepped up onto the porch and rocked back and forth, seemingly awkward, though the twinkle in her lovely shimmering eye betrayed her. "So this is me..." They shared a small laugh before the white doe put a paw out and snagged Trisha's own. "This was a fantastic day. Thank you again, Trisha. I'm really looking forward to the morning." She turned to head inside but a surge of feeling brought her up short. Quickly spinning around, she reached out and cupped the other doe's cheek and leaned in to kiss her cheek before turning back and disappearing into the house, giggling madly.

* * *

Unable to sleep, all the brown bunny could do was stare at the ceiling wishing for unconscious to claim her. Her mind was in turmoil. She knew this was happening too fast. It wasn't the way she operated at all. She should never have let it go this far, for this long. And yet she had. She had done the one thing she had always seen be the downfall of every new relationship. Rushing in too fast. Investing all of their emotions in one fell swoop. Love was not an 'all or nothing' type of game. There were always variables. Obstacles, that must be overcome if it was to survive. And yet, just like all those she had called fools, hopeless romantics, and desperate seekers, she had fallen to the same spell. All because of a white doe, painted with different colors all over her form, giving her a unique and treasured appearance.

This was uncharted territory for her. Oh sure, she had been 'in love' before. Most mammals have in their lifetimes. This was a different kind of feeling though. This wasn't the same sort of 'love' she had experienced before. There had always been a calmness to her previous attempts at a relationship. Much like swimming in a clear lake. She could see into the depths and knew exactly what was around her. But in the last half a day, what she had been feeling was like the ocean. Vast. Rough. Deadly. Threatening to swallow her whole and send her to the depths without warning. And it excited her to no end. But there was one thing she was scared of above even losing herself to the rage of the ocean's power. Judy.

Judy had warmed to the brown doe and they had become fast friends. In Trisha's mind they were even best friends, although she could tell that outside of Nick she was Judy's closest friend as well. And therein laid the problem. Sarah was Judy's closest sister. Always protective, always worried, always watching for any sign of trouble that might befall the young doe. Trisha knew Sarah was not as fragile as her friend seemed to think, but she knew that wouldn't stop her from being the guard she needed to win over.

It was not that she was asking permission. That was something Trisha Rose never did and wasn't going to start now. No. What she was concerned about was getting to embrace one sister at the cost of another. That was what she couldn't stand. Losing her best friend was unacceptable to her. Not to mention it went against one of her core values. She would not be the reason a relationship broke up, whether between lovers or family. She would not be the reason Sarah and Judy stopped speaking to one another simply over her. Which is why, even late at night and thoroughly exhausted, she rose from her bed and headed into the hall.

_Judy should be in the shower by now. I heard her tell Nick as they went past that she was going to take a quick one before going to bed. Although,_ she paused as an odd thought crossed her mind, _she said that quite a long time ago._ Still hearing the shower running, Trisha shrugged figuring Judy had either fallen asleep under the hot water or maybe just decided to take an extra long one to soothe her muscles. _Maybe I'll join her. Well, not_ join _join her, but talk to her from the next shower over while I get some heat on these ribs._ She was still a little sore from her mistake that afternoon. She certainly knew how to climb trees and climb them safely, but she began to realize hours later that she hadn't been paying close enough attention because she was subconsciously trying to impress the spotted doe.

Pushing the bathroom door wide, Trisha stepped in and started to round the corner, her mind too preoccupied with her own thoughts that she failed to hear the primal noises coming from up ahead. "Hey Judy I was won-..." The words died on her lips at the sight in front of her. It was carnal. It was rough. It was _ho_ _t_.

She was so overwhelmed she could not understand the words being spoken to her by the gray bunny currently being thrusted into by the fox beneath her. She realized that while she had briefly seen Nick in a towel around the apartment, it had never been enough time to fully appreciate his body. What she had seen as a lean form under those silly shirts he tried to get away with wearing lay seriously firm muscle and a tight stomach. He wasn't overly ripped but it was something that worked for him. Not to mention the size of the canine's hard shaft pistoning in and out of her friend.

She knew she needed to leave, this being a private moment between the two, but she found her legs would not obey her thoughts. Neither would her arms or her neck. In fact, her entire body had gone completely rigid except for her eyes which she unwillingly let roam over the sight of her naked friend and her mate screwing like savage beasts. She had not forgotten Judy's drunken and _detailed_ accounts of her and Nick's lovemaking, although what was in front of her was clearly one hell of a fucking and not 'making love', but she had never expected _this_ _._ Not from Judy Hopps, model police officer and caring individual. No. This was her 'savage' side. The side that took instinctively took over and became more of a primal creature.

Trisha was so overwhelmed by arousal that she knew she would not be going anywhere until it was over. Which she didn't feel would take too much longer as Nick's thrusts sped up, hammering his hard shaft into Judy's sex over and over. She could only watch Judy's ears flopping around at the intensity of her lover's speed and strength. She felt herself not only becoming wet but nearly soaking her panties and still she found herself unable to move. Unable to do anything about the aching feeling between her legs.

It was only when the knot forced it's way inside of her that Judy finally came. The build-up had been extraordinary and even though Trisha was still unable to hear the cries, she could feel them. The two lovers collapsed onto each other, finally spent. Her senses returned to her in time for Judy to whisper her love for the vulpine repeatedly before passing out. Finding herself suddenly free from the spell, Trisha fled the bathroom and tore down the hall.

Slamming the door open to her room, she quickly kicked it shut before leaping for her bed, nearly tearing her panties in half to get them off before plunging her digits deep inside herself, roughly pushing past her sensitive folds. Loud moans filled the room as she pleasured herself, shoving her paw deeper inside while she groped and clawed her chest. The vision of her two friends fucking with abandon was fresh in her mind. Flashing back to that room, she imagined joining them, getting to feel Nick's long tongue entering her much as her digits did now. But it wasn't enough. It wasn't what she wanted. And at that thought, the two images of her friends vanished in place of a spotted doe, her seductive pink eyes staring into her own. Her tongue flitting out and licking her lips sexily. She could almost feel her paw being removed and the white paws of the one she was falling for enter her. ' _Cum for me,'_ she imagined she would say, her lips pressed up against her brown ear. ' _Cum for me Trisha_.' And she did. Again and again and again. When her body finally gave out, she let words that were almost foreign to her slip out as sleep claimed her. "I love you."

* * *

Dawn came far too late for Sarah Hopps. She had spent so little time sleeping that night, watching the hours pass one after another in trepidation of the next morning. When she would get to prepare the surprise for the brown bunny that had come into her life not even a day before. She hadn't felt this excited since her first day of medical school but with that excitement came fear. The young doe was petrified. Not only was she opening up after keeping herself guarded for so many years, but it was to someone she hardly knew. She needed to talk to someone about this but thankfully the one person who would actually be willing to listen to her was the very one she needed to see.

Quickly throwing on a pair of leggings and a deep red tank top, Sarah set off out the door to find Judy. She knew she and Nick were set up in the guest rooms so she decided to head there first and try the breakfast table if she had already left. The tunnels were built upon necessity, not a pre-planned idea, so the twists and turns to an outsider would be more than enough to get them lost. Sarah, even having been away at college for most of the last four years, still retained the mental map all Hopps children learned as kits. It was how they managed to not get lost, like the fox she saw wandering through the halls with a stymied look on his muzzle.

She nearly called out to him, to help him find his way to the kitchen when a few of her younger siblings came out of the great room and hauled him along. One of her sister's kits saw her out of the corner of his eye. Sarah offered him a smile but the small rabbit shook his head with a disgusted look on his face. Sarah's broken heart chipped a little more. _Now they're teaching their children to hate me, too. When will this ever stop?_ She had a feeling that once college was over she would need to pull a 'Judy' and keep to the city as much as possible. Maybe have her parents visit her there instead.

Feeling pained, she resumed her travels down the halls towards the guest section of the burrow. As she got nearer though, low voices traveled up the corridors to her sensitive ears. Thinking only Judy would be down here considering she knew Finnick was still in Jessica's bed, having heard them nearly the entire night, Sarah wondered who she was talking to. The voices were still muffled but they became clearer with each hallway she traveled down. With another turn, she had to leap back to avoid being scene as Judy and Trisha talked at the end of the hall.

"Look Judy. First off I need to apologize for last night. I didn't mean to walk in on you two and I certainly would have left you to your privacy, but I...I froze." Trisha's hung head and embarrassed voice let Judy know she was disappointed in herself.

"I figured. I told Nick as much. Don't worry, Trisha. It happens every now and again. And I can't really blame you, can I? I mean we _were_ pretty good last night." Judy's own sly smile was matched by her friend's. Sarah meanwhile was very confused, figuring the context was extremely important but unable to glean what it was. "But you had something to tell me last night and I'm guessing it's still a hot issue this morning?"

Brown paws were wrung in nervousness. Trisha was a confident bunny. Never one to back down, never one to let something get in her way. However she also wanted to play this right, wanting to stay friends with the gray doe while wanting to be with the white one as well. "Yeah, it is."

"It's about my sister, isn't it?" Both Trisha and Sarah's jaw dropped, the latter's with a tiny squeak inaudible to the other does.

"How did you-..."

"Nick and I were behind the tree when you two stumbled out of the field. We also saw you in the grass laying together when we were on the ferris wheel." Smiling at the incredulous expression on her friend's face, she put a comforting paw on the doe's shoulder. "I'm a cop, Trisha. One who's aiming to be a detective one day. This is what I do for a living." Her smile turned into a smirk. "Plus you're so damn obvious. Cunning deceiver you are not. Trust me, I live with the best."

Sighing, the doe fixed her bright blue eyes on the bunny's purple ones while shocking pink watched their every move. "Yes. It's about Sundae." Another squeak escaped from the spotted rabbit's lips. "I'm falling for her." This time Sarah had to clasp both paws over her lips to prevent a loud squeal from sounding down the hall. "I want to pursue this but I wanted to talk to you about it first."

"What, like asking me for permission or something?" Judy was confused. Her friend was never the type to ask for anything. Trisha saw what she wanted and she took it.

"Uh, nuh-uh? When have you ever known me to ask for anything? Besides your floral shampoo, cause that is just heavenly. No, I'm doing this whether you want me to or not," _Ah, there she is,_ Judy mused. "I just wanted to talk to you about it first. You know I love you, Judy. You're my best friend and the closest thing I've had to a sister. I want to make sure that if I do go after her that we will still get to be friends. I don't want to tear apart our friendship nor do I want to come between you two as sisters." Sarah's heart melted at the admission. It was not just the fact that the doe she had fallen head over heels for was interested in her too, but that she wanted to make sure her sisterly bond with Judy was kept intact was wonderful.

Judy was having the same thoughts. She was overly touched at the gesture. "Look Trisha, I'm not going to pretend that I understand what's going on between the two of you. I know of your past exploits and I do know this one seems different for you. Sarah however, if she has ever formed a crush on anyone she never told me about it. She may have the same feelings you do," _Oh I definitely do,_ Sarah thought, grinning wide, "she may not. But I won't stand in your way." She smiled brightly. "I don't want to." Her smile then turned deadly in a fraction of a second. "But if you hurt her, we are going to have a lot more than words. Got it?"

Stunned at the sudden change, Trisha clasped a paw to her chest, actually hurt by the insinuation. "Judy. You don't really think I would do that, do you?"

"Nah." The smile suddenly back and brighter than before, she reached out and gave the brown doe a hug. "But it's my sisterly duty to frighten all potential suitors of my younger sisters. Now, go take a shower and get dressed so you can meet my sister for that morning surprise." Trisha thought about asking how she knew about that but decided to quite while she was ahead and moved back down the hallway.

As soon as Sarah heard the bathroom door close, she turned the corner nearly colliding with her sister. Though nearly the same height, Judy was such an imposing figure that it felt as if she looked down upon you. "Why am I not surprised to see you here immediately after her?" Judy's smile was kind but also tinged with playfulness.

"Judy...umm...I need you to tell me all you can about Trisha. I need to understand if...well...if I'm feeling what I think I am."

"Hmm...well I suppose it couldn't hurt. What do I know about Trisha Rose..."

* * *

"This is quite beautiful, Sundae." The two does were sitting on a checkered red and white blanket spread out over the grassy clearing. Wildflowers of all different colors and scents sprang up around them. It was in a secluded spot on the edge of a cliff. A powerful river flowed beneath them while the scent of the meadow drifted on the wind. The forest protected them from the heavy breeze below while to the north they could see a vast mountain range. The peaks were capped with snow that would continuously freeze and melt allowing little creeks and streams to travel down from the mountainside to twist and turn between the trees.

"Isn't it though? Judy used to bring me here when we were little. It was so peaceful. Nobody else ever came up here." Fondly looking over at the cliff, she smiled softly at the happy memories from her childhood. "We used to dangle our feet over the edge and watch the roaring water. After Judy..." Sarah's face fell as she recalled less fond times. "Well...after she got really involved in school work trying to become a cop, we didn't come up here that much anymore." Her voice had dropped, her tone hushed with shame. Even after years of trying to move on with her life, a few brief memories were sometimes enough to push her past her limit. "I used to escape up here when my siblings would chase me from the house and sometimes even the farm. They didn't want to be seen with me or even be reminded I e-...I ex-..." She found she could no longer hold back, the tears beginning to escape from her eyes and down her cheeks. She hurriedly brushed them away but ultimately was losing the battle.

When a pair of strong brown arms encircled her, she gratefully leaned into the embrace, too far gone to care if she was being seen as weak or scaring the doe away. She just needed someone to hold her then and Trisha was more than happy to be the one there for her. Trisha's own blue eyes were shimmering with tears. The thought of the young doe having had to endure all of that as an adult was hard enough, but to have heard it went on since she was a mere child was just heartbreaking. She would give anything to have spared her that life growing up.

"Why was I never good enough for them? I was their sister! I was supposed to be their family! And I...I was... _nothing._ Nothing to them." With Trisha's head resting on top of her own while the spotted bunny sobbed every tear she had left, she spoke from the bottom of her heart. All the questions she had hidden from the world. All the uncertainties in her life. "Why did nobody want me? I was no one of importance. Just someone to be shunned. Chased away. Tormented. Even attacked. I was nothing to anyone."

A paw that had been clutching her and resting along her back began to move, traveling slowly downward until reaching her hip. Sarah's breath became ragged as the touch ran along her waist until it found her own paw, laying comfortably against her thigh. Intertwining them, Trisha used her other paw to tip Sarah's head back, letting her eyes gaze into the teary pinks of the mixed bunny. "You are to me."

"I am, aren't I?" Looking down at their paws intertwined, she returned to see herself reflected in the bright orbs in front of her. "You really do care for me." She closed her eyes and began whispering furiously under her breath. "Please don't let this be a dream. Please don't let this be a dream. Please don't let this be a dream." Her lips were suddenly brushed with something soft, barely grazing the flesh. Sarah's eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar sensation only to see Trisha's eyes mere inches away.

"Does this feel like a dream?" Her lips were suddenly captured by the other doe's. It was soft. Tender. The exuberance? The passion? That would all come later. For now, Trisha needed her to understand that this was indeed real. That she was not alone right now and that there was someone here, against her own better judgment, who loved her.

After only seconds which felt to both like hours, Trisha pulled back. She was worried she might overwhelm the inexperienced doe. She needn't have been concerned though. She had barely cleared away far enough to open her eyes before white paws wrapped around her and hauled her back into a much harder kiss, one born of desperation and uncharted emotions. _I could get to liking this_ , Trisha thought, melting back into the rough handling of the doe next to her. She felt a hard yank on her tail causing her to squeak into the other doe's mouth. _I could REALLY get to liking this._

* * *

They had laid there on the blanket for hours. Sometimes watching the clouds, sometimes watching each other. Occasionally one of them would give in to their desires and a new bout of rolling through the grass, kissing each other wildly, would happen. It was fast and exciting for both does, but it wasn't enough for them. They each silently longed to be closer but neither of them spoke up. Sarah was too scared to even think it, worried she might ruin everything if she declared it. Trisha didn't want to seem like she was forcing the spotted doe. She wanted, no _needed_ her to come to her on her own terms. Though she felt as if she would explode if nothing happened soon.

Eventually though, the outing had to end. Light was starting to fade as they realized how much time had passed. They packed up the basket and folded the cloth, taking care to pick up any trash left behind by their breakfast. Sarah had also packed a small lunch so they luckily weren't starving during their trek back through the forest and across the crop fields. Though Trisha wouldn't say she wasn't hungry for something, eyeing the rounded hips swaying in front of her. _No!_ _Bad bunny! That comes later._

The trip back was silent and somewhat awkward. Not out of shame or regret at what they had done in the clearing, both of them truly wanted to kiss each other. No, what was causing the awkwardness was how much they wanted to do it again, and possibly more. Sarah was inwardly trembling with what she hoped was coming soon. She had never imagined she would find anyone that would appreciate her appearance or get close enough to appreciate her character as well, yet Trisha seemed to do both and what was more important, she was willing to show it. She wasn't afraid of being next to her. She was someone who would even willingly stand by her.

It was after dinner by the time they got back, having slowed their walk considerably in an effort to spend more time together away from the rabble and chaos of the burrow. At some point, their paws had become interwoven again, swinging in time to their steps. A light hip bump or graze of the waist did nothing to quell their growing desire and their pace quickened as the front door came in sight. "I'm going to go to my room for a few. I'd like to come see you after. That is, if you want to." Sarah knew what the brown bunny was asking her. It was going to happen, she thought, her inner voice screaming excitedly.

But all that came from her mouth was a quiet, breathy whisper. "Yes." It was one word but it conveyed much to Trisha who raised the doe's paw to her lips and kissed it softly. She headed down the hall towards the guest room with a wide grin on her face. Sarah stared at her departing form, her eyes locked onto her toned backside longer than she should have. Shaking her head, she quickly ran to her own room, hoping she had enough time to get ready.

It took only a few minutes for the brown rabbit to return, knocking lightly on the spotted doe's door. When it opened, Trisha found herself staring at a vision of loveliness. She had changed her shirt for a bright yellow tank top, the strap hanging down off of one shoulder, much the same way her dress had done when she first met her. She had also slipped into a pair of black leggings that, while covering her dark brown legs, contrasted well against her white fur. Lost for words, she could only offer the doe her paw and hope she accepted it.

Giving her a smile, Sarah took the offered paw and followed the bunny down the hall towards the guest quarters. Her heart was beating so hard in her chest she was sure it would wake every sleeping rabbit in the burrow. Yet they ran into no one on their trip down which she was grateful for. Sarah wanted to focus on the other bunny and only her, not some antagonistic sibling who wouldn't keep their own mouth shut.

Trisha was having trouble concentrating. More than ever she wanted this to go right. She wanted Sarah's first time to be special, and she wanted it to be with her. Reaching the door, she turned back to the doe and raised a brow, silently asking if this was what she wanted. With a hesitant but subtle nod from the bunny, Trisha brought her lips to Sarah's and kissed her before leading her into her room.

The mixed bunny's face was aglow in the light of dozens of candles spread throughout the bedroom. It was cheesy, it was overly dramatic, and it was "Perfect." Trisha, who had been waiting to hear a reaction from her, beamed.

"I'm glad you like it. I know it's a bit overkill and cliche. Definitely not my style. But I thought it would be a nice touch for our first time together. At least, if that's what you want this to be."

Taking a few steps up to her, Sarah leaned in close putting her lips next to the brown ear. "I want this. I want this so very badly." Wrapping her arms around the brown doe she began to softly kiss her, their lips pressed together tightly. Trisha's paws moved as if they had a mind of their own and quickly grabbed each cheek of Sarah's perfect rear and lifted her up. Without hesitating, the white bunny quickly wrapped her legs around her waist, letting Trisha carry her to the bed and lay them both down. The sudden feeling of where they were and what it meant had them breaking apart and looking deep into each other's eyes.

Filled with a yearning to be close with another, Sarah felt her body moving of it's own accord. Leaning in, the doe began nuzzling Trisha's cheek, the small act creating waves of pleasure within. Never had she been with another bunny, another _mammal_ before. The loneliness she had felt for so many years, the aching feeling that consumed her thoughts in the back of her mind, started to fade as brown fur tangled with her own mixed colors. She had lost hope many years ago of ever finding someone that would care about her the way the beautiful rabbit beside her was doing.

Feeling her nuzzling returned with as much, if not more, pressure left the doe reeling. Trisha had been showing her attention and compassion for all the time she had been there, spending almost all of it with her. To have been taken to the doe's bed had been so exciting yet frightening. Emotions within her were chaotic, surging in waves of both hope and despair. She longed to be loved, yet so many years of building up walls against the outside world had left her suspicious and fearful of what opening herself up might bring. Yet here beside her was a beautiful doe, who had shown her nothing but kindness and now seemed intent upon showing her another kind of love as well. She had learned quite a lot about this rabbit in the past couple of days and what she had learned from her sister, that Trisha was not one to use another, only solidified her desires. That she was not the type of mammal to hurt others and while a definite tease, something she had learned over the past day, she did not do so with the idea of raising false hope in others. She made sure that her intentions were always known. So the young doe, always guarded, always wary, let down those last walls and opened herself up to her.

The soft caress on her cheek made her gasp at the intimate gesture. It was strange that something so simple, so delicate, could raise such feelings within her and leave her breathless. Her eyes had closed during their time together, short though it had been, but she felt something beckoning her to open them. Peeking out into the dim-lit room, her eyes of brilliant pink were met by a pair of sapphires looking directly into her own. The only thing Sarah had to go by in romance was the novels she would read, hoping to somehow feel what the characters could feel. To immerse herself in their fantasy world. She had committed most of the stories to memory. Knew exactly what to expect should she ever find one who could love her. But what she saw in the other doe's eyes was not what she had imagined it would be. Instead of the lust she had read about, she found adoring love reflected within. Instead of the overwhelming heated gaze, she found a soft and comforting smile. Instead of half-lidded seductive eyes, she saw sincerity and desire for her and not trying to make it about herself. It had her heart melting.

Without consciously thinking, Sarah had instead let her body take control, letting her instincts direct her actions. They had drifted close to each other. Lips were mere inches apart and Sarah could feel her heart begin to quicken. She longed to capture them with her own but she was hesitant. Even after how close they had gotten, she still feared the brown doe would reject her. Trisha could tell the young doe was scared of the next step in their intimacy. Though she wanted badly to wrap her arms around her and slowly bring their lips together, she waited. She needed to let Sarah move at her own pace. Trisha may not be a stranger to all of this, but it was clear that she still was. The bunny was willing to wait for as long as the mixed color bunny needed.

Torn between doubt and hope, Sarah finally let herself give in. If she passed on this one chance, the only one she may ever have, she knew she would regret it for the rest of her life. Closing the distance, she felt her lips press against the soft skin of the other doe's. The passion was more powerful than any of their previous kisses had been and they felt themselves lost within the storm. It stirred within the bunny intense feelings of wants and desires she had long ago locked away in fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of doubt. Fear of forced loneliness. She no longer had to feel that way, not anymore. Every repressed feeling came pouring out all at once. She knew right then and there that she truly loved this doe. That there would never be another for her that could stir this amount of emotion within her. That even if this was a one-time experience, she would cherish it until her dying days. She finally knew what it was to love. To truly love another the way she had always dreamed about but had never really believed it was possible for her.

Bringing her own paw up to cup the other's cheek, she was rewarded with a soft nuzzle against her paw. Not to be left alone in her enjoyment of the other's touch, Trisha laid her paw up against Sarah's cheek as well, tenderly caressing the white fur beneath her. Sitting up, the brown doe slowly grasped the bottom of her shirt and tantalizingly slid it up her body, revealing the fur along her toned stomach. She watched as the mixed bunny drew in a sharp gasp, her eyes wide and round at what was being offered to her. It pleased her that she could elicit such pleasure merely with the sight of her body. Reaching the bottom of her ribs, she carefully observed her soon-to-be lover's response as she raised it further, showing her perfectly rounded chest to the captivated bunny. Sarah froze, barely able to even breathe at the sight before her.

With her shirt now gone, Trisha found herself slightly hesitant herself. She was no stranger to sex, but she knew that this was the first mammal she had ever met that she felt such strong emotions for, even beyond the physical attraction she felt. Suddenly self-conscious, something she had never been before with any other partner, she waited, unsure if she would be embraced or rejected by the doe in front of her. After what seemed like an eternity, Sarah spoke the first words either had uttered since they had laid on the bed. "You're beautiful."

Feeling a blush spread across her body, Trisha leaned close. Bringing their lips together softly, Trisha returned her paw to Sarah's cheek, preferring the feel of her soft fur underneath her touch. She felt rather than saw the mixed doe's paw shaking slightly when it touched her unclothed waist. Sliding her paw down, Trisha laid it over the trembling doe's and pressed lightly. "It's okay, sweetie. It's okay." Staring deep into her eyes, she tried to convey all the love she was feeling for her. Clasping the back of her paw, she raised it up and down, letting a sigh out whenever it reached a point that felt that wonderful to the doe's touch, indicating to Sarah where she should focus her efforts. Letting go, she waited for Sarah to make the move on her own, trying to build her confidence up so that she would be able to take the initiative. To show Trisha exactly what she wanted to feel or what she wanted to experience.

Becoming a bit bolder, the mixed rabbit ran her paw down the side of the rabbit's chest coming to a stop just above her hip. Her paw was still shaking and she seemed somewhat fearful of going any further, but she was slowly getting accustomed to the sensations and feelings rushing through her. It was the feeling at the hem of her own shirt that made her pause. Looking down, she could see the brown paw gently holding onto the fabric. Lifting her head, her shining eyes sought those of her bed mate whose gaze was soft and inviting. She was silently asking permission to see more of her laid out before her eyes. It took several seconds for Sarah to come down from the mild panic she felt but the idea of revealing more of herself to the lovely doe in front of her made her shiver with excitement. Swallowing hard, she gave the slowest of nods to the rabbit who smiled softly, reassuring her that she would not rush her if she wanted to stop.

Dragging her paw up, the shirt slowly came with it, revealing her stomach to the bright blue eyes staring intensely at her. While not as fit as Trisha, the mixed bunny was no slouch in keeping herself healthy. Where Trisha was leaner with a rounder chest, Sarah was gifted with wider hips and a more delicate grace. Now raised above her waist, the fabric of the shirt gave Trisha her first glance of the area where her lower and upper colors split. A sharp incline in dark brown pierced through the stark white of her torso along her left side. Sarah had suddenly gone quiet. Trisha's sharp hearing detected a small whimper of fear from her, something she had trouble understanding for a moment before realization came. Her lip trembling, Sarah could barely breathe for the feelings surging through her. Part of her hoped that the bunny she had fallen in love with would not care about her discoloration, but years of trepidation would not be denied and they broke through with force causing her to mentally cower. Trisha, finally gaining some understanding of what the doe was experiencing, lifted her paw and lightly took hers from her waist. It may have seemed as if she was removing her paw from her body because she was disgusted, at least that's what it appeared to Sarah as, but when Trisha had lifted it to her lips and placed tender kisses along it and the mixed bunny's arm, it became a different gesture altogether.

"I told you, beautiful. You are truly lovely." Bending down, her head was partially blocked by the fabric being held above Sarah's stomach, but she did not need to see to feel the lips pressed against her fur along that jagged line where dark and light cut through each other. The feeling of that tender kiss was incredible but it was the feeling of acceptance for who and what she was that brought tears to her eyes. Letting out a happy chirr, Sarah could feel herself tremble beneath the kiss but she wanted more. Putting her paw on top of Trisha's she pulled slightly, signaling she wanted her to continue lifting her shirt. Now that she had been revealed to the brown bunny who did not turn away and in fact embraced her further, her hesitation and fear had fled, leaving behind only the love she was falling deeper and deeper into.

With a grin, Trisha slowly continued lifting her shirt, the pure white of her chest now being revealed. Unable to help herself, she ran her paw through the soft fur of her chest. Reaching the base of her throat, she released the fabric and let Sarah take over, sliding it up overhead and her arms to slip through leaving the upper half of her body bare for Trisha to drink in. Now rather than being fearful of her appearance, Sarah was merely bashful, hoping she was pleasing enough for Trisha to find attractive. She did not need to wait long as the brown doe's eyes flashed with excitement and she laid down next to her.

Wrapping her brown paw over Sarah's white shoulder, Trisha pulled her close. She clasped her arms around her, pleased to feel the action reciprocated. Now locked together in a close embrace, their eyes sought each other, hoping to lose themselves within them. The bright pink of the mixed bunny's eyes was both fascinating and alluring to the brown doe whose bright blue eyes were equally as enticing. Their heads tilted forward, pressing against one another as their noses met and their eyes closed. A slight shake of their heads had their noses nuzzling each other, an intimate gesture kept only for family or those that they loved to show a closeness and a bond. While Sarah was unsure if Trisha did in fact love her, it definitely made her aware that they both were sharing a bond in their actions.

Nearly simultaneously, both of their eyes opened and gazed at each other. Bringing themselves closer, they let their lips come together. It was soft and loving as their other kisses had been, but now with their fur mixing together, their chests and torsos resting against each other, it fueled a stronger passion between them. They kept their lips soft, but they did allow their paws to slowly wander along their bodies. A caress along her back had Trisha gasping while a touch on her hip left Sarah breathless. Their paws remained slow and tender, yet they left each knowing of the passion they felt for the other. It was when the white fur along her chest had been parted, lightly scratched with stubby claws, that had Sarah letting out her first passionate moan caused by another. It startled her but only for a moment, sinking back into the feeling created by her lover. It left her with a tingling that she could not ignore, leaving her with a desire to feel nothing between them.

Her body demanded immediate action but Sarah was still a romantic at heart and wanted her first time to be as sensual as she had imagined it to be, though the experience she was having was far better than she could ever have conjured up in her mind. Letting her paw wander further down, she placed her digits just under the waistband of Trisha's torn jeans. A little startled, the brown rabbit pulled away from Sarah's lips, sending her a questioning gaze, asking her if she really wanted to go further. Half-lidded eyes looked up through thick lashes, the sultry look and the lick of her lips telling Trisha exactly what she wanted from her. Letting out a sly grin, Trisha's paws went down to the button of her jeans and undid them. She slowly dragged the zipper down and let the top flare out, revealing a thin strip of red lace. Trisha pulled a paw away and beckoned Sarah forward.

Her throat suddenly dry, Sarah tried to keep her paws from shaking as brown ones grasped hers and placed them on either side of the jeans. Trisha laid her paws over the bright white fur of Sarah's, slowly pushing them down, sliding the clothing over her hips. As more and more fur was revealed to the mixed bunny, the red lace of Trisha's panties came into view. She found them to be incredibly sexy and appreciated the fact that she had worn them, the glimpses of fur between the lace being very exciting. The jeans had slowly slid past her thighs and were now trailing over her firm calves. Slipping past her feet, Trisha kicked them to the side, letting them fall off the edge of the bed. Now sprawled beneath her, Trisha found herself bare save for the sheer pair of lace panties.

Letting a gaze linger over the still half covered doe in front of her, Trisha tried to speak only for her words to come out in a lust filled ragged whisper."Doesn't look like we're even, does it?" Flipping onto her paws and knees, she slowly crawled forward, her tail seductively flicking behind her drawing the mixed bunny's eyes to it. Another whisper had her looking down into the mischievous blue eyes beneath her. "Let's fix that, shall we?" Leaning back onto her calves, Trisha reached her paws out and lightly took Sarah's pant waist in her paws. Looking up for permission, she was greeted by the doe biting her lower lip and her eyes closed, head tilted back. Smiling, she deftly slid the leggings down from her waist slowly revealing the bare fur of her uncovered mound. The surprise must have shown on her face as an embarrassed giggle came from the mixed doe. The idea of the insecure, inexperienced bunny having come into her bed wearing nothing beneath the almost sheer pair of pants she had been covered by was almost unfathomable, yet here she was, now clad in nothing but her fur. Trisha marveled at her courage for it must have taken quite a lot of it to overcome that particular fear. "Such a naughty bunny." Trisha continued sliding her leggings down past her thighs, letting her paws linger along the fur eliciting a shiver from the mixed doe. Past her knees, along her calves, Trisha slowed her progress allowing her paws to roam lightly on her legs. Every second was torture for Sarah who wished to be stripped down so she could feel her embrace once more.

Sensing the impatience in the bunny, she sped up just enough to get the fabric up and over her feet allowing the pants to slide off completely. Now free of the distracting clothing, Trisha began running her paws up and down the chocolate colored legs in front of her. They were nearly the same shade as her own, just a tad darker and very enticing. She brushed through the soft fur, lingering long enough to gently knead the muscles beneath it, feeling the strength implied by their firmness. She slowly trailed her digits up her calves until she reached her thighs. The fur there was much softer, begging to be touched. While she obliged and ran her paws through the fur, she also brought her face down next to them and nuzzled her thighs with her cheek. The sudden panting from above had Trisha smiling. She trailed light kisses along the inside of each thigh, making sure to avoid the area between her legs for the time being. She wanted to make her first time as special as she could and did not want to overwhelm the doe.

Snaking her body up along Sarah's she stopped just as her face passed her hips. The line of mixing colors extended in an unusual direction. Tracing her digit along the line starting above her left hip had Trisha trailing it along in a downward jagged line. Pausing at the bottom most part, she heard Sarah gasp sharply and let out a desperate moan. Realizing her paw was lingering nearly on top of her sex, Trisha continued following the path north to the right side of her body. A relieved sigh that was also tinged with disappointment met her ears and she made a mental note to follow that particular line again. Upward it climbed, peaking just below the edge of the right side of her hip.

Trisha could not understand how someone could look at the doe's coloring as anything less than beautiful. To imagine she had been separated, forced to be alone for so long simply because of being unique, made her heart ache. It was a miracle she could be as compassionate as she was. And it was that spirit that made Trisha long to be with her. She knew that she had been called there for a reason and if it was to give the mixed doe just one day and night of acceptance, love, and passion, than she would grant her that wish. But if she would have her, Trisha would gladly spend the rest of her days showing Sarah how much she could be loved and cherished.

Crawling over her body, the brown bunny moved up until she could press their bodies together and feel the warmth travel between them. It was an exhilarating feeling for both does, one that neither wanted to have end. Moving closer to each other, they kissed again, the softness in the action being as intimate as the exploration of each other's bodies. No longer having any restrictions, the two let their paws wander a little further than before. Sarah found herself focused on Trisha's thighs, barely grazing the surface of her fur, making the doe shiver at her touch. She on other other paw preferred to stroke the fluffy tail of the mixed rabbit, enjoying the loud purr emanating from her throat.

Deciding to see how far she could push the limit, Trisha dared to let her tongue flit out and caress Sarah's lips on their next kiss. Her eyes snapped wide open and she pulled back, going completely still. Trisha was afraid she had done something wrong until those brilliantly pink eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she leaned back into the kiss letting out a low moan. This time when her tongue flitted out it was met by another. Though hesitant at first, Sarah quickly grew to enjoy the feel of their two tongues running along each other. Though they kept their motions soft and slow, but both let their tongues run a little wild, each dragging them along their teeth, each sliding past into the other's mouth.

Joining paws and interlacing them, Trisha rolled over to partially lay on the bunny wrapping their legs together. Their chests so close together, they both could feel the other's rapid heartbeat climb even higher with excitement. Their fur brushing against one another left them both more than a little heated, each of them running their free leg along the back of the other's. Attempting to move to make herself more comfortable, Sarah accidentally made Trisha slip, causing her dark chocolate leg to press up in between Trisha's brown ones. A sharp gasp had them both pausing before a pleased smile came over the does face. Sarah looked on as Trisha slowly rocked against the muscular thigh pressed up against her for a few seconds before climbing off and laying back down next to her.

"Mmm, that felt good, Sundae. But we're not at that point yet." Gathering her back into her arms, Trisha placed her lips on Sarah's just enough for her to come the rest of the way. As they let their tongues explore and Sarah ran her paws along the brown furred body next to her, Trisha was slowly raising her paws up to the mixed doe's ears. The different colors on each ear may look strange, but to Trisha they appeared as delectable as everything else about this bunny. Slowly stroking the black ear on her left, she enjoyed the strong shiver that ran through her body, the moan traveling from the doe's mouth into Trisha's lips.

Feeling the paws leaving her body, Trisha suddenly let out her own moan when they landed on her own ears, softly rubbing them at the base before sliding up softly. "Don't stop," she whispered breathily. A wide smile crossed the mixed doe's face as she realized she was able to please her lover. She kept the motion slow, but increased the pressure at the base and made her touch at the tips feather light. Keeping her paws where they were, Sarah moved her lips to Trisha's neck, softly pressing them against her brown fur. The combination of her ears and neck being tended to had Trisha suddenly gasping. Where she had originally decided she would be in control to make sure Sarah enjoyed her first time was slowly becoming her being turned to putty in the young doe's paws.

Mimicking what she had seen in romantic films and read in her novels, the mixed bunny trailed her lips along Trisha's collarbone hoping it would bring the same response it did in her imagination. She was not disappointed as the gasps coming from the lips above her mirrored what she had expected. It encouraged her to keep going, moving further out, continuing along her shoulder and down her arm before returning and repeating her actions on the other side. The sensations left Trisha writhing underneath her, begging her to continue.

Inspiration came to her as an idea on how to please the brown doe further. Sliding her body up, planting kisses along her face and forehead, she reached where her lips were even with the bunny's ears. Softly grasping one in each paw, she began manipulating them again, repeating the same action she did before. A soft rubbing at the base before becoming feather light at the tip of her limp ears. This time though, when her paws reached the very tip, she brought it to her mouth letting her press her lips against it in a soft kiss. She felt a shudder below her, and a moan that vibrated against her chest. At the same time she realized how she was positioned, Trisha opened her eyes and realized the same thing.

Placing her paws on Sarah's back so she couldn't move away, Trisha licked her lips before pressing them to the mixed doe's chest mere inches from her face. This time it was Sarah's turn to let out a deep moan. Moving from spot to spot, leaving light brushes of her lips against the bunny's fur, Trisha felt herself getting more excited, yet she forced herself to hold on a little while longer. She needed Sarah to come to that on her own.

Trembling from the assault of the brown bunny's lips, Sarah wrapped her paws around Trisha's head, pulling her tight against her fur. The feel of her tongue felt so good to the mixed doe that she didn't want it to end. "Oh god," she mumbled. "Oh god don't stop. Please don't stop." Hearing how passionate she had gotten, the way her body was rocking back and forth while keeping Trisha's mouth directly on her chest, made the brown bunny smile as best she could while still kissing and licking Sarah's fur. Trisha knew how she could increase the bunny's pleasure but she felt it was still too soon.

Pulling away, much to the other doe's displeasure, Trisha moved up her body, eventually settling down face to face. Gently caressing her cheek, the blue-eyed rabbit gazed deeply into the sparkling pink of her bed mate. "Hi," she whispered. It was first word either of them had said that was not a plea for pleasure from the other. It seemed to stun the younger doe who did not quite know how to respond.

"Hi," she said bashfully, her cheeks reddening. She found a paw reaching out to hers which she slowly clasped. Intertwining them, Trisha leaned in close giving her a chaste kiss, but a loving one. Her eyes had instinctively closed at the movement but she almost wanted to keep them like that forever. She could hear the quickened heartbeats in the room. Smell the natural earthy aroma of the bunny next to her but also a strong scent of arousal, the bunny's pheromone levels increasing.

Looking down at their clutched paws, Trisha held her gaze there for several moments, wanting to burn it into her memory so she could go back and visit it for all time. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know this is probably a little overwhelming for you." Sarah was touched by the gesture. It was true, the feelings flooding her body were new, though they were strange and exciting. She had never been exposed to such wonder and passion and there were a few times when it seemed she might faint but it was all so amazing.

"I'm okay. Actually I'm better than okay." Feeling a bit bolder, she leaned in and took the initiative, kissing Trisha back strongly. "This is the greatest I've ever felt in my life. And I have you to thank for it." Smiling, the other bunny dragged her brown arm along her white one sending tingles all over her body, but especially between her thighs. Swallowing hard, Sarah tried to will herself to speak but found her sentences broke, her voice cracking. "Could we...umm...I really like, you know, this," she gestured slowly between the two of them, "but could we, umm... It feels really nice, I just thought that maybe it, we... I mean only if you want-"

Trisha pressed her digit to her lips, silencing the flustered bunny. "Are you asking if we can take it further?" A heavy blush coming over her, Sarah nodded slowly unsure on the doe would take it. Smiling at the embarrassed bunny, Trisha pulled her in to press their lips together, her tongue flitting out to slide along her lips, asking for entrance. At the same time, her paw began snaking it's way down the fluffy white chest of her lover. It felt like eternity to Trisha to reach her thighs as slow as she had gone, worried about scaring the young doe away, but eventually finding herself where she had longed to be for quite a while now, her lips curled upward in a smile while their tongues danced around each other.

A firm stroke on the inside of her thighs made Sarah gasp at the sensation. Trisha used that opportunity to deepen the kiss, letting her tongue slide in deeper, running along her teeth. The brown paw mixed against the darker fur as it trailed down the inside of her leg, eventually stopping at her knee. "Are you ready to take the next step? We can keep doing this, I don't mind at all, beautiful."

Shaking her head, a bit more forcefully than last time, Sarah licked her lips. "I want this. Here. With you." The look in her vibrant eyes pierced Trisha to her core. Such desire. Such trust and love was contained in a look that lasted only a few seconds, but it was more than enough to snare Trisha's heart. Gently touching the doe's shoulder, she pushed lightly indicating for her to roll over to face away from her. Sarah did so without hesitation, trusting her lover.

Wrapping a paw around the mixed bunny's waist, Trisha hauled her in closer until her rear was snuggled up against her, her back to her chest. Leaning in, the brown doe pressed her nose into the other's neck, breathing in her aroused scent before placing kisses between her jaw and her shoulder. Reaching down, she hooked her paw under the doe's chocolate knee and lifted up.

Suddenly feeling herself with her legs spread wide, Sarah felt a flash of nervousness as well as an overwhelming surge of excitement. She had never been in such an intimate situation before and it thrilled her, especially knowing it was with her doe. _'My doe?' What makes her my doe._ Looking back over her shoulder to see the rabbit still lacing tender kisses along her neck, she couldn't help the feelings coursing through her. _But I love her. I truly do. And I hope, no_ pray _, that she returns my affections. But I will still love her regardless and I want to be with her right now._

While her leg had been lifted into the air, Sarah had felt the paw run ever so slowly from her knee along the inside of her thigh and pause where her leg and pelvis met. Turning her head as much as possible, Sarah's brilliant pink eyes met the flashing look in the sapphire gems she could lose herself in. Their gaze locked, Trisha slid her paw over and lightly ran across her clit.

The result was exactly what she was hoping for. With a cry, Sarah threw her head back onto the brown bunny's shoulder. She had never before experienced anything like it and the intensity scared her. Now sliding up and down her slit, the paw pressed in lightly, allowing her folds to separate enough for the digits to trail along the more sensitive parts of her labia. While Sarah was no stranger to exploring herself, to have someone else do it was so very different. The feelings, the sensations, it was all so overwhelming and powerful.

Finding her lover becoming wet almost immediately, Trisha stroked along her lips before bringing her paw up for Sarah to see her slickness coating it. Making sure she was watching, the doe brought it to her mouth and slowly licked her paw, cleaning Sarah's nectar from her fur. The sight was so erotic that the mixed doe's eyes rolled back while letting out a loud moan. Lowering it back down, Trisha placed her paw once again on the doe's slit, sliding it in and running along the exposed flesh of her sex. Pressing softly on her clit, Trisha leaned in close, placing her lips to the base of the bunny's ear. "Is this what you were hoping for? Am _I_ what you were hoping for?" With a muffled whimper, Sarah nodded, fighting the urge to thrust her hips into her paw. Soft lips pressed against the doe's neck, her forehead now leaning against the back of Sarah's. Still keeping her movements slow, Trisha pushed in a little harder, letting her digits trail over her sensitive folds.

Placing her paw flat on her slit, the brown doe started moving in a circular motion, pressing in hard with each rotation, letting her digits run softly across her clit, barely allowing the fur to brush against it. Sarah's paws were now gripping the bed sheet, threatening to tear holes in them, trying to prevent herself from grabbing the paw pleasuring her. She was so overwhelmed by what she was feeling. She wanted so badly to keep going. The build-up from all of their tender caresses had sent her careening wildly off course. The intensity was what she needed but also something she was scared of. It was coming too hard, too fast for her to handle. It threatened to wash her away and she wasn't sure she could survive it.

Feeling her tense, Trisha paused in her motions, keeping her paw pressed down on her sex but halting the movement. "Sarah. It's alright, don't worry. I'm right here. Just let yourself have it. It's all for you." She resumed her strokes, making sure to keep them light and even. Giving her a tempo to work off of, Trisha knew it would help her orgasm while still feeling in control of her own body.

Sarah was losing herself to the pleasure once more. She focused on Trisha soft, silky paw running up and down her lips. Each time she reached to the uppermost part of her folds, she rubbed her clit with her digit, eliciting a gasp from the doe. The pleasure started building. It went gradually, letting her adjust and then came all at once. "Oh. Oh! Oh god. Trisha! It's...I think I'm gonna...I'm gonna-!

Pressing in harder, Trisha sped her paw up slightly, making sure to stroke the mixed bunny's clit with each pass. "Take it, beautiful. It's yours. Just let yourself go."

"Oh god! I'm cummmmmmming!" Trisha had to increase her hold around the young doe to keep her from thrashing too roughly. She regretfully let go of her leg, allowing it to fall back down so she wouldn't hurt it while her hips bucked against her paw. She was still trapped between her legs, flexing her paw open and closed against her slit, pushing her orgasm longer. Sarah's paws gripped hard into the sheet, her claws leaving small puncture holes as she shuddered violently. With a single last gasp, the doe felt her entire body go rigid before relaxing completely, all of her muscles going limp.

Soft brushes against her neck roused the delirious rabbit. She felt so calm and peaceful it was hard to convince her body to move, but as her memories flooded back she knew the night was not over yet. The touch of lips delicately pressing against her fur had the mixed colored doe turning her head to gaze at the blue eyed bunny next to her. After Sarah had experienced her rapture, Trisha had stayed curled against her, treating her body to light caresses and feather-light kisses along her neck and shoulders.

It had thrilled her to have been the doe's first and she hoped her last. Trisha knew how the doe felt about her, she wasn't blind. And her own feelings had been building since they met yesterday. _Was it really only yesterday? It feels like half a lifetime._ Trisha was done fighting them though. She was too far gone, lost in the sparkling pink eyes of her lover. And she did not want to come back. For too long she had been chasing the thrill of her next hunt. Trying to find a way to outdo the last. But now...now she would be content to never have another in her bed again as long as she could come home to the beautiful doe was wrapped around.

"Hi." It was a simple word. One which should not have been appropriate for the moment they had just shared. And yet it seemed to fit perfectly. The utterance of it along with the rosy gaze of intense eyes had Trisha pinned, unable to think. For the first time in her life, Trisha found herself with absolutely nothing to say.

"Hi." The brown bunny was blushing hard enough to see the red beneath her fur. She had been the confident one so far in their lovemaking. The one with experience. And now she was frozen, unable to act.

"That was incredible." She stretched her arms up, rolling over to face her before snuggling her face into the bunny's chest. "I've never felt anything like that in my whole life. Thank you so much for sharing this with me, Trisha."

Though she was still unsure what to do next, Trisha beamed with pride knowing she had pleasured her bunny. Reaching her paw up, she softly stroked the multi-colored pair of ears laying against Sarah's back. She noticed that while the black one was solid on both front and back, the gray one on the right had streaks of white along the back. She traced the lines with her claw, letting the rabbit shiver under her touch. "I'm glad I could make you happy, cutie."

"Oh you definitely did that. But we're not done," Sarah looked at the other bunny with a hint of hunger in her eyes. "Are we?" Turning and meeting the intense look from her bright pink eyes, Trisha found herself paralyzed under it. She shook her head slowly, a mixture of lust and longing in her eyes. "I didn't think so." Swallowing hard, Sarah looked over the doe next to her and pressed against her shoulder, making the brown bunny lay on her back.

Climbing on top of her, Sarah gazed down upon her naked chest and reached with lightly shaking paws to lay them against the soft fur. Hearing a purr from the doe gave her a bit more confidence in her actions. Running her paws through the tuft of fur along her bunny's chest made her excited, her own body shivering with anticipation of what she was about to do.

Trailing downward, her paws dragged through the fur, traveling over toned abs that caused a familiar heat to spread through Sarah's loins. _No. This is about her. About making_ her _feel good._ Reaching the start of the red lace riding just below the edges of the brown bunny's hips, she hesitated for a moment.

Glancing up to see the doe patiently looking at her, silently telling her it was okay if she wanted to stop, made her decision for her an easy one. Slipping her digits under the band, Sarah slowly slid the panties down her legs, savoring every inch of fur that was revealed to her eyes. Passing her knees, Trisha suddenly clamped her legs together and lifted then both straight in the air, allowing her to remove the garment effortlessly. It also allowed Sarah to get a very good look at her tight rear, the image almost making her salivate with want.

Lowering her now bare legs, Trisha let them fall to the bed before locking eyes with the mixed doe. Gazing through her lashes, her half lidded eyes betrayed a heated desire flowing from the brown bunny. Slowly, her legs began to part, dragging Sarah's eyes downward, unable to look away as Trisha bared herself to her lover.

Extending her paw, she placed it on the mound before her. Hearing a gasp that quickly turned into a moan, Sarah looked up to see Trisha's eyes closed, her head back in pleasure. Emboldened, Sarah started trying to mimic the moves used on her earlier. She dragged her paw up and down, a little too enthusiastically. Another paw suddenly reached down and grabbed hers lightly. Embarrassed, Sarah glanced up to see a kind smile being shown to her. "I've never done this before," she admitted.

Trisha stroked her cheek lovingly. "It's okay. Let me show you." Sliding her paw down the naked form of the doe, she gently grasped the white paw laying nervously upon her mound. Interlacing their paws, she slowly brought them to the top of her slit and held. "Like this." Softly pressing down, she moved their paws in a slow circular motion, letting them brush against her clit, rubbing along her folds.

Arching her back, Trisha let out a low moan, continuing to show Sarah how to please her. Moving her paw up and down her slit, she showed her what she had done to the doe, separating the folds and rubbing along her labia. Meeting her gaze, Trisha squeezed Sarah's paw. "Just like that, beautiful." Withdrawing her paw, the brown bunny began stroking her chest while the mixed doe resumed her motions.

Circling her paw like she was shown, Sarah began to lightly apply pressure, brushing along her sensitive clit. She stared in awe at the sight before her, her bunny spread before her, willing to put her trust in the doe. Choosing to run her digit up and down her slit, the mixed bunny became curious. Dragging her digit along the folds, making sure her paw was well coated and shining, she brought it to her lips. Hesitating, she looked at the brown bunny only to meet her piercing blue eyes staring at her in lust. The gaze was so heated, Sarah began to feel herself beginning to get wet between her thighs again. Instead of a tiny lick to get her first taste of her lover, Sarah was so overcome with desire that she nearly swallowed her paw.

Trisha meanwhile found the image of the rabbit devouring her taste so erotic that she nearly came just from the sight alone. She knew there was no way simply rubbing herself would be enough anymore, not even with the help of the no longer innocent doe beside her. Wrapping her arms around the multi-colored bunny, Trisha lay her down and climbed on top of her. Straddling her hips, Trisha bent down and kissed Sarah hard. There was no more tender moments, no soft caresses. Trisha needed to satisfy herself and she knew Sarah was going to enjoy it too.

Pressing their hips together, Trisha began grinding against her, making sure their clits were rubbing against each other. The pleasure surged between their bodies, overwhelming the both of them. Sarah suddenly found herself panting with need. She had never considered how this might feel, though before today she had never thought of being with a doe before either. She had imagined being pleasured before, always by a faceless stranger, but nothing could have prepared her for this. Not her books, nor the movies she had snuck from her parent's 'special collection.' Her body was on fire and it could only be quenched by the pleasure she was being shown.

Trisha was slowly losing control. She knew this was her bunny's first time and she had to fight to make sure she did not go too fast or overwhelm the previously naive mammal. Her resolve though was weakening. Leaning forward, she began to lick Sarah's face, an intimate sign of affection, especially during lovemaking. It caused white fur to open revealing bright pink eyes, shining softly with tears. Feeling two paws grasp her cheeks, Trisha watched as a tongue ran over her own fur, lighter than her licks had been but still causing just as much of an emotional impact.

With both of them tearing up at the mutual show of love, they felt their pleasure grow by leaps and bounds. Pressing down one more time, the two does wrapped their arms around each other, being swept away by the shivers of their collective orgasm. Unwilling to break away, the two continued their soft embrace, letting out minor gasps as they tried to catch their breath. Sarah was the first to recover, making the most of her time to lick Trisha's cheek and stroke her soft brown ears. She felt so incredibly happy, more so than just the afterglow of her orgasm. It went much deeper. The memory of being licked all over her face had been the final piece in her heart's coffin. She would never be able to unlove her doe, nor did she want to. Whether their connection lasted a day, a week, a year, or a century, her heart would never truly belong to anyone else ever again.

The tongue running along her cheek brought Trisha around. It felt so good she did not want to move away so she held the embrace a bit longer, contemplating what they had just done. She knew she had started it, but was it something she really wanted to do or was it simply because of losing herself to her hormones. She had felt such affection and passion for the doe before that, feeling that she could be in love. But licking of her face was an extreme jump ahead in a relationship. It was normally a precursor to engagement. Even marking was not as serious as what they had just done. Shifting her head, she decided to put it to the test, knowing that if she was wrong it could break the doe's heart.

Tentatively opening her mouth and bringing her tongue out, she hesitated before pressing it to her fur. Dragging it upward in a long, slow lick, Trisha paid attention to the soft purr coming from the doe that seemed to echo in her own throat. Licking her a second time, she focused on the warmth in her chest. And then licked again. And again. And with each lick, she felt her chest heat up and her heart beat faster. This was more than just lust. Both of them went back and forth, licking each other's cheeks, coming closer to the middle. Their tongues finally reached their lips causing them to press them together, kissing each other deeply. Breaking apart with a lick to each other's tongues, vibrant blue eyes met sparkling pink.

"I love you, Rose Petal." Trisha could feel her eyes tearing up. Of course it would be that a name she despised from all others would be one that she would turn into a thing of beauty.

"Who told you?" Her grumbling voice was more playfully curious than mad but she wanted to know who had spilled the beans so she could torment them for all time.

Sarah let out a cute giggle, rubbing her nose against the other doe's. "Judy."

"I knew it," she cried out melodramatically. She turned her head back to face her, giving her cheek one more lick. "I love you too, Sundae."

* * *

Trisha was the first to waken that morning. They were too deep in the earth for the sun to reach them but that was just fine for the brown bunny. Their late night of lovemaking had been more than enough to exhaust her and any extra sleep she could get was a bonus. Sarah had been almost insatiable, giving even her a run for her money. She supposed though that was to be expected after so many years of loneliness especially as their coupling had been intimate and full of meaningful passion.

Feeling the tip of an ear tickling her nose, she reached up to gently brush it aside, smiling at the black color stretching all the way down and along the right side of a white doe currently snuggled up against her, her head resting on top of her chest, a happy smile on her lips. She felt such warmth looking at the sleeping bunny. _Her_ bunny. It felt so strange to think and know that it was true. That she had found the one she wanted to be with. In the most unlikely place. In the most unlikely time. And in the most unlikely way. Then again, she never was one for conventional.

With a glance downwards, she found their legs wrapped around each other, the two shades of brown so very close in the dim light that it seemed impossible to tell where one of them ended or began. Their clasped paws lay still on her torso, the feeling of their digits intertwined giving her so much happiness. Shifting slightly, Trisha leaned down and gave the doe a light kiss between her ears.

"Morning Rose Petal." Startled, but pleasantly so, the brown bunny raised their collective paws and gave hers a light kiss.

"Morning Sundae. Sleep well?"

Stretching her arms and legs, regretfully losing the contact she had with her bunny, Sarah groaned into the feeling. "Better than ever. Can't say I've ever been exhausted quite in that fashion though." Turning her head upwards, she let out a sly grin. "Wouldn't mind a repeat performance."

Also letting out a groan, though hers was because of regret, Trisha covered her eyes with her paw. "You have no idea how much I would love too, cutie. But your sister would flay me alive if I made them late for getting back to the city. And I wasn't able to get any more time off of work. I'm afraid I have to go soon."

A sad look flashed across the young doe's face. Thoughts of being abandoned once again filled her mind and, though she knew it was foolish, she found herself unable to expel them. After being alone for so long, she knew she would eventually adapt, but it would be so difficult. Hurt so badly this time after finally having found herself capable of love.

Maybe it was her face. Maybe it was her gaze. Or perhaps just a general understanding of her. Whatever it was had Trisha suddenly aware of a wave of despair pouring from the white doe. Glancing down only to see the dark look in her beautiful rose colored eyes, Trisha's own bright blues widened. "Hey, sweetie. None of that now." Wiggling her way down until they were facing each other, she placed a paw on her black and white cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, okay? I may be headed back to Zootopia but this isn't the end for us." Leaning close, she ran her tongue lightly along the doe's nose. "I promise you." Reassured, Sarah felt a surge of love flow through her and she leapt onto the brown doe who promptly disappeared under an assault of kisses. "Ahh! I surrender, I surrender! Maybe there's time enough for a quick one."

_**At the end: Trisha and Sarah P.O.V.** _

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Though she had been asked several times since their little playtime that morning, Trisha still felt nothing but pleasure knowing that she was wanted so badly.

"Sorry cutie. I really do need to go. Though as soon as you're back in school I'll be paying a visit to the campus. Maybe you can show me around. You doctors do do things for fun, right? Besides help bunnies who fall from the tops of trees?" Unable to conceal a grin at that, Sarah leaned into her bunny and wrapped her arms around her tightly.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Rose Petal." Though she only had another week of winter break left before she could go back to the campus, she had no doubt that it would probably feel like the longest week of her life knowing that it was all that stood between her and her bunny being together again.

"I'll miss you too, Sundae." Giving each other a soft kiss, they exchanged small licks before breaking apart, Trisha regretfully getting into the car. Bright blue orbs met sparkling pink, their gazes locked together until each had faded into the distance.


	30. Chapter 34 - We're gonna have a good time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: So I caught this rat and thought to myself "Hey. If I can train this rat to cook awesome food like they did in that one movie, then maybe Disney will invite me to cook for them and I can steal the right to Zootopia!" So I am now in the ER currently having my eye and face treated for numerous scratches and tested for rabies. Stupid animated movies making you think things that aren't real could be real. I think he stole my wallet, too.

_**30 days later, give or take a few hours...** _

Awakening long before the alarm, a gray ball of fluff trembled excitedly underneath the bed covers. Her paws twitched rapidly while her foot began shaking. If she had been standing, it would have been thumping the floor fast enough and hard enough to possibly break the wood. She couldn't help it though. Today was one of the precious few where she and her littermates would get a bit of extra attention from their parents, and for a positive reason. All too often extra attention came with a loss of dessert and a short sentence of grounding. Unable to contain it any longer, Judy sprang from the bed ready to start the day. Only to immediately regret it as the coldness of the apartment hit her.

Flashing back to the night before, things had gotten a bit too heated for them to sleep comfortably so Nick had opened the window a small amount to cool it off. The plan had been to open it only for a short amount of time but they both had fallen asleep before either of them had a chance to close it and keep the heat they _did_ want in the bedroom. Faced with the idea of crossing the room and shutting the offending window, Judy chose a much more pleasurable option.

Diving back into the bed, she burrowed under the covers, moving towards the heat she had foolishly left in her excitement. With the tickle of fur against her nose, she gave a small purr of contentment, burying herself into the warmness of the body laying ahead. She could wait until the alarm, she decided. She wasn't going to give up cuddling against her warm, fluffy, (did she mention warm?)mate. Feeling his large arm encircle her, he pulled her tight to his chest letting her snuggle into his fur.

"Morning Fluff." Judy felt slightly guilty about waking him too early as he spoke with a wide yawn. Scratching his chest with his sharp claws, Nick refused to open his eyes, preferring the darkness of the back of his eyelids. He did however wrap his tail around the two of them, adding to the heat flowing between their bodies. "Time to get up already?"

Pressing her face in tightly, still feeling some of the cold from the area outside of the covers, Judy could only mumble her words. "No. I just got really excited and got up early but we left the window open. It's freezing. So now you're gonna warm me up."

"Mmmm. I like the sound of that." Hauling her towards him even tighter, he began licking her fur, paying close attention to the ears making her shiver with delight. Pushing his muzzle into the crook of her neck, he began rooting through the fur, eagerly inhaling her scent. Breaths became nibbles, his teeth nipping at her skin, eliciting several loud moans from the rabbit.

Feeling his foxhood rise along her leg was what snapped her back to her senses. "Nuh-uh, horny fox. We don't have time for that. We gotta shower and help Trisha pack. We promised we'd have it done yesterday and we got, um...distracted."

"And by distracted you mean having mind-blowing sex on just about every surface of our home from the time Bogo let us go home early until just about the time Trisha came back from her shift? That distracted?" Judy blushed beet red, her mind flashing back to the day before. They had acted like animals yesterday and it had excited them both. It had been difficult to not get swept away though. If they had let go of _all_ of their self-control, they probably wouldn't have any furniture worth keeping anymore. "I can't believe she and Sundae are moving in together. It's only been a month."

"Yes well, rabbits move pretty fast. Even unconventional ones like those two." Stretching and resigning herself to the need to get up, Judy slowly uncovered herself and peeled away from her fox, not appreciating the cold air suddenly surrounding her. "But I need to go call Jessica first. Wish her a happy birthday before we head into the station." Having been ogling her tail as she moved around, Nick's head snapped to attention.

"Jessica's birthday? That's today?" Not seeing the surprised look on his face as she began gathering a couple towels together for their shower, she rolled her eyes.

"Yes Nick. It's my littermate's birthday. Kinda goes together with being born at the same time. That shouldn't surpri-..." A sudden thought occurred to her causing her head to slowly turn until focusing on her mate. "Nick. Did you forget it was my birthday?"

Trapped and looking pained, the vulpine fidgeted under the gaze those purple eyes were sending his way. "I didn't exactly _forget,_ Carrots. You never told me. I mean I knew it had to be within the next couple of months by process of elimination, but I didn't know it was _today."_ She went to retort before realizing that she actually couldn't remember having ever told him when her birthday was. It had never occurred to her in all of their time together. Their first weeks as a couple had been extremely hectic and then all of the months he was at the academy she was more focused on all the time she got to be with him that it must have never come up in conversation. She suddenly felt very guilty for being upset at the todd when he had done nothing wrong.

"I'm sorry, Nick. I never realized that I hadn't told you." Reaching over and patting his knee she gave him a warm smile. "Not anything to fret about. C'mon, we gotta get ready." She stood and headed out, her fluffy tail taunting him into leaving the warm bed. The sudden chill was even more tempting to dive back under the sheets. "And close the window, Slick." Grumbling, he moved to do just that, finding the cold breeze against his mid-section doing wonders for letting his body calm down.

Now in the bathroom, Judy turned the handles in the shower, getting the hot water flowing. _I can't believe he forgot. Well he didn't really but did he never bother to look it up? He knows everyone in the city down to the time they were born but he doesn't know his own mate's?_ She was letting herself get upset over a minor detail in the long run but to her it felt justified. Possibly because she had been so excited to spend her twenty-fifth with her fox that it never occurred to her that he may not actually know. And it's not like she left any hints. She hadn't wanted any gifts or a vacation or anything like that so leaving notes or open magazines never occurred to her. _I still get to spend time with him and that's what's important._ Feeling better, she hopped under the hot spray and let the water soothe her.

It only took a few minutes but soon she felt two strong arms wrap around her and draw her close. Enjoying the touch, Judy lay her head back against the vulpine's stomach, reaching up and interlocking her paws with his. They swayed back and forth letting the water pour over, soaking their fur down to the skin. Bending over nearly in half, Nick kissed the side of her neck. And then again. And again, trailing soft presses of his lips to her fur, moving from her neck to her shoulder and back again. She in turn let go of one of his paws and reached up, stroking his head and pulling down closer.

"We can't do this, you know. We need to...mmmh that feels wonderful, Nick...We have too much to do this morning." Though her mind was saying they didn't have enough time, the deeper recesses within herself were trying to find ways to justify making that time. Her physical body was well past saving, having melted into his embrace a long time ago.

"I know we don't. But that doesn't mean I can't stand here and kiss you." To emphasize his point, Nick latched his lips to hers, keeping her head tilted back to gaze up at him with those beautiful amethyst eyes. "I won't let this go too far, I just wanted to hold you and love you."

She felt herself swoon and her heartbeat jump at his words. He was always able to do that. The smooth talker, able to charm himself out of any situation, or to show so much wonderful affection for her. "Such a romantic fox. Unless it's getting my birthday right," she teased while he let out a low groan. Her playful tone told him that she really wasn't holding it against him but that she _was_ going to use it as leverage for at least the day. That was when Nick decided the romance was over and he grabbed the handle for the spray nozzle and flashed it in her face.

* * *

After Nick's little stunt in the shower, they had been able to get ready rather quickly as the gray doe wouldn't allow him anywhere near her tail for the time being. At one point his sad puppy eyes nearly broke her ridiculously strong will but she held fast and didn't let those wandering paws on her, knowing that he could easily bend her to his will if she did. And being late was not how she wanted to arrive at work.

During their suspension, Judy had worked tirelessly on regaining some self-control on her instincts as Chief Bogo had assigned her. They tried going back to the meditation classes at the Mystic Springs Oasis but found that really wasn't helping with her aggression based problems when it came to protecting her mate. It was actually Yax, overhearing their conversation, that had provided her with a recommendation for a different kind of treatment and that she should come by after normal hours with Nick. He couldn't guarantee it would fully help, but he did say it would get her closer to her goal.

So at eight o'clock, just as the moon was coming up over the horizon, the pair found themselves standing in the courtyard. Because of it being at night, they weren't required to remove their clothes, something Judy was grateful for. Nick still did disrobe, having been there so often he was rather comfortable with it. There were a few other mammals there with them of all species and ages but these weren't the normal patrons of the Oasis. Most of them were wearing conventional clothing and all of them were sitting and waiting in front of a slightly raised stage which an elderly grizzly had begun approaching.

The next two hours had been full of discussing lack of control over base instincts. Some of the mammals in the class were ex-cons that had found leaving that life behind was more difficult and were prone to violent outbursts usually dealing with aggressive instincts and tendencies and that the lessons learned were very helpful. At the beginning, Judy didn't expect it to help at all, but finding that there were others with similar problems and they were finding help through the bear, she felt more optimistic. They had worked on breathing techniques, one of them Judy found extremely beneficial and would practice using it to make sure it would be easy to bring up if she found herself losing control.

Even with her new courses being successful, the Wildes still found themselves under Bogo's microscope. They had tried to give him no reason to criticize them or even send a snort their way, though that didn't stop him on occasion. It was a minor miracle they weren't put on parking duty as soon as they got back, but they weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. All this had been done with spotless attendance, no PDAs while on duty, and Nick had even cut down some of his sass in the bullpen. It was impossible for him to just block all of his natural self so Judy gratefully accepted the 20-30% drop.

With that in mind, Judy set out to help her friend as fast as possible so they wouldn't be caught drawing the Chief's ire that morning for being late. Dressed in her lycra body suit, ZPD issued belt, and feet wraps, Judy looked at herself in the mirror as she affixed her badge and, as with every morning, gave it a quick polish so it shone bright against the dark blue uniform. In the reflection behind her, she could see her mate pulling on his own uniform but staring at her with a proud expression on his muzzle while he had watched her shine her badge. She knew that being a cop was something that meant a lot to him, but not nearly as much as her being one and getting to be her partner, in more ways than one.

Unable to keep the embarrassed grin and the blush of her cheeks off her face, Judy turn and quickly bounded from the room to find her friend out in the living room, happily packing up her belongings. Trisha had been staying with them for so long that Judy found it odd to think she wouldn't be there in the morning. However, she knew that this was a great step for her sister and that a pair of rhinos at the front door wouldn't keep Trisha away from Sarah.

"So. Really moving out, huh?" While at the start it had been awkward for them to share the apartment with the brown doe, they had quickly adapted to the arrangements. Even Nick was able to accept her which was very difficult for foxes when it came to letting other mammals into their dens. But she was treating Sarah right and that helped win him over as he felt protective of her like a little sister.

"Yep!" The excited cheerfulness in her voice told Judy how much she was looking forward to being closer together with Sarah and she was really happy for them, but she did find herself thinking about how much she would miss the brown doe. Finishing another box, Trisha turned to grab the tape and found herself suddenly wrapped in a big ball of gray fluff.

"I'm gonna miss you around here." Nuzzling her friend, Judy contemplated not seeing her when she got home at the end of the day. She had gotten so used to having her around that it might start to feel empty when they weren't able to hang out as often as they had been. Trisha gave her a big hug and stroked her ears.

"Hey sweetie?" Judy pulled back slightly in time to see Trisha give her a mischievous smile. Cupping her cheeks with both paws, Trisha dragged the gray bunny into her lips, kissing her hard before pulling back with a satisfied look on her face. Judy sat there stunned, rocked by what had just happened which she wouldn't have expected in a thousand years. "Sorry," a grinning Trisha said. "I had to at _least_ once."

Now feeling a bit of her own confidence and sass returning, she shot a smug look at the brown rabbit. _Two can play this game, bunny._ Locking purple eyes to her bright blues, Judy gave her a seductive look that she often used on Nick when she was hungry for more than food. "And how was I?"

Trisha cocked her head and placed a paw under her chin, tapping it in thought. Bringing her head back down, she tipped her paw in a side-to-side motion. "Meh. Your sister is better." Now laughing at the indignant look on the doe's face, Trisha fell over clutching her stomach, writhing in mirth.

"You know what, you can haul your own damn boxes to the car." Judy turned and stalked off, her face beet red in embarrassment, leaving Trisha to her merriment.

* * *

"She _kissed_ you?!" Two russet paws tightened over the steering wheel, threatening to leave indentations. Judy's sulking mood had not gone unnoticed by the todd who hadn't witnessed the little debacle in the living room. The blush that had formed on the inside of her ears when he asked what was bothering her had been so strong that Nick at first thought something was wrong with her. But the look of deep embarrassment on her face had made him curious about what had transpired while he was getting ready for work. He had been stunned by the retelling of the incident. So much so that he had hit a pothole, one of the things he always made sure to avoid in his restored muscle car.

Sighing, Judy nervously fiddled with her ear, unsure how he was going to take the news. "Yeah. I swear I didn't know what she was going to do, sweetie. I hope you don't hate me for it. I know how...unsettled this would make foxes." Silence filled the car for a few minutes before Nick spoke again, his tone more curious than she would have expected.

"So, how was it?" Snapping her head around, Judy stared at him incredulously, that being the last thing she would expect to come from his mouth, especially as his words were tinged with amusement.

"How was it? _How was it?_ That's what you're worried about?" Her voice had risen in both volume and pitch with each word until she was nearly shrieking, not understanding how he could be so calm about it.

"I'm not worried, Fluff." The sincerity in his voice was very clear, leaving Judy extremely confused by what she thought she knew about her mate and foxes in general.

"But I thought...you know, foxes? Territory?" She started fidgeting, wondering if she had gotten something wrong. She had known him for quite a long time but she realized thinking back that she never had actually seen him jealous. Although she had never kissed or _been_ kissed by anyone else. She disliked even being touched by other mammals ever since the bond. So he had never had reason to be jealous. Now that she thought he had plenty of reason, he was acting as if it was a comedy scene on tv, simply getting a light chuckle out of him. Suddenly she found herself a little miffed that he _wasn't_ immediately jumping to defend her.

"Well, I'm not gonna lie, Carrots. Territory and possessiveness of our mates is extremely important to foxes. And honestly if you had been kissing a stranger or even one of our precinct siblings, I would be on them with tooth and claw in a heartbeat. With Trisha it's a little different." He cursed a little as the traffic came to a standstill. Construction along the main route had tied up the road for nearly a week and if they didn't get done soon Nick found himself thinking he would _join_ the riots rather than quell them.

"Why is Trisha different? Is it cause she's a doe?" Shaken from his musings about city workers and bureaucracy always screwing up construction, the vulpine sent his bunny a curious look.

"What does being a doe have to do with anything? We are fiercely possessiveness regardless of species, gender, music choice. None of it is off limits. No, what doesn't worry me about Trisha is her sincerity. She swore to us that she would never try to break up a relationship, especially ours, and she has kept her word. Not to mention how devoted she is to Sundae and I know she would never hurt her. No...something else is going on." Sniffing the air dramatically, he gave his eyes that shifty look her had whenever he was about to make a stupid joke at his own expense. "I smell a hustle here somewhere. Too much honesty in my blood now though. Can't pinpoint it." Sniffing and wiping away a fake tear, he began making fake whining noises. "I've lost my powers!"

Cuddling up against his side, Judy patted his thigh comfortingly. "There there, Mister Fox." Nick stiffened slightly but she failed to notice. "I'm sure your powers of hustling will return in time, though if you go back on the streets you won't be getting any of this bunny until you come to your senses."

"Never fear, Carrots." He held up his paw in scout's honor. "I will only ever use my hustling for good. Mostly. Can't guarantee I won't hustle a few of our co-workers. Sometimes it's like shooting fish in a barrel. By the way," he turned and looked into her eyes, a glint of mischief and amusement in his eyes. "You never did answer my question. How was it?"

Blushing, Judy looked at her knees, unable to make eye contact with her mate. "It was...different.

"Good different or bad different?"

"This is weirdly important to you, isn't it?" He cocked his head before nodding.

"Just want to know if I have up my game."

"You always need to up your game, Slick. Gotta keep me interested, you know?" A sly smile and batted lashes gave her the upper hand. "But to answer your question, it was...nice. Although you don't need to be concerned that she's gonna steal me away." He raised a questioning brow at the gray doe. "She said Sarah kisses better."

They nearly crashed into a guardrail as Nick almost passed out from laughing.

* * *

"Slow down, Carrots. We have plenty of time." After the construction jam had cost them nearly ten minutes of waiting, Judy had been frantic, urging Nick to drive faster through the streets even though he had no spare room to go anywhere. She was even tempted to have him use the emergency sirens. She knew that would upset Bogo but she was weighing that he would be less upset by the improper use of lights compared to being late for the bullpen. Thankfully the traffic had lessened and they made decent enough time to reach the precinct.

"Five minutes is not 'plenty', Nick. I don't want to get on the Chief's bad side so soon after our suspension ended." Taking the steps two at a time, Judy burst through the side doors into the precinct from the parking garage. She barely heard Nick call out for her to wait but ignored him. If she got into their seat fast enough then she could stall until Nick got there too. Rounding the corner into the lobby, she skidded to a halt, her brain overloading from what she was seeing.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILDE!" The deafening call from nearly all of the day shift officers gathered around Clawhauser's desk made her wince slightly, but the banner hanging down over the second floor railing as well as the balloons and what looked like a _mostly_ intact cake in front of Ben had her eyes watering.

"What is all this?" Normally when an officer's birthday was recognized, the Chief would simply acknowledge them politely in the bullpen, or in Clawhauser's case a small group of his officer friends handing him an extra large cupcake and doing a quick singing of the Birthday song. She had _never_ seen a spectacle like this for any other officer and while it was always her stance that she didn't want special treatment, she certainly wasn't going to deny herself the joy she was experiencing.

"Ask your partner." Judy turned to see Chief Bogo approaching from her side. His normally stoic or annoyed face was temporarily gone, a small smile lingering at the corners of his mouth. "He's the one who set this all up."

Now hearing the patter of paws behind her, she spun around quickly to see a sheepish grin on her fox's muzzle. "Surprise?" He had tried to make sure they walked in together but he should have known she wouldn't make it that easy. He had been forced to chase her, hoping to catch her in time but that was completely dashed as he cleared the threshold, already seeing her brilliantly shining face, her eyes watering up.

Feeling her legs carry her on autopilot, she kept her gaze on his as they got closer. Nick started feeling a bit more confident and started approaching her as well. He opened his arms to give her a hug, a smile on his face when suddenly the smile faded. Judy's own smile had turned into one of annoyance and her eyes glinted with a touch of anger. Nick quickly closed his arms to protect himself but it was too late as the first thump hit him in the arm. "You complete ass, Nicholas Wilde! You knew! You knew this whole time it was my birthday and you let me feel guilty since we got up!"

"Of course I knew. I've known ever since I met your mother the first time we were in Bunnyburrow. You think I would ever let my bunny go a year without her knowing how much I love her." His words were sweet and she felt much love for him surge through her. However she wasn't done being mad yet.

She went for another punch but found herself scooped up into his arms, cradled against his chest, her face level with hers. "Let go of me, _fox_. I'll knock you into next week, I swear it!" Nick simply smirked and pressed his lips against hers. She tried to push him away but he would not be moved. Deepening the kiss, he felt her body slowly relaxing into his grip, her coiled muscles loosening up. Sensing his victory near, he slipped his tongue past her teeth, running it along her own smaller one. That last act had her melting into his embrace, grabbing his ears with her paws and hauling him in closer. Catcalls and a few howls echoed through the lobby, causing the couple to break apart.

"And on that note." They looked over at the Cape Buffalo, standing tall nearby, a rare smirk on his face at their antics. "Happy birthday, Hop- _Wilde._ One day I swear I'm gonna get that," he muttered, walking away towards the stairs. "You all have ten minutes, then your collective asses better be in your seats." Knowing the chief was deadly serious, one of the officers put an alarm on their phone at eight minutes and set it. There wasn't any music but the group did sing Judy the birthday song while Clawhauser handed out plates with a slice of cake on each.

She got a few small gifts, none really extravagant knowing she wouldn't accept them. Francine gave her a window decal for her car that read 'Foxy Lady' under what used to have been a silhouette of a vixen but had been expertly replaced by one of her in ZPD gear. She said her brother had made it and Judy asked that she pass on her compliments, promising she would put it on as soon as Trisha returned her car. Ben handed over a very stylish Gazelle keychain that Judy immediately put on their cruiser keys. Ben wanted to tell her that wouldn't be allowed but his love for all things Gazelle had him clamming up fast.

"Oh Nick. I've been meaning to ask you...Do you remember when Gazelle asked us to come by her place sometime? Do you...do you think we could take her up on her offer? I wouldn't mind getting to actually talk to her this time instead of fainting like at the concert." Nick was reluctant to push himself on the singer but Ben's begging face was almost as powerful as Judy's and he folded quickly.

"Alright, alright. I'll shoot her a text at some point and see when she's free. But I'm not promi-" Nick and the others stared as Clawhauser's eyes rolled up into his head and keeled over. "Oh for god's sake. OI! SPOTS! Wake up!" The big cat was out cold. Judy put her paw on his arm.

"Let me." Leaning down close to the cheetah, Judy took in a deep breath before letting loose, her cry echoing throughout the lobby. "Wolford! Get that perp! He just stole Ben's Gazelle snowglobe!" Clawhauser's eyes snapped open and he leapt to his feet with a speed that stunned the other officers.

"No! Freddie, get hi-..." Seeing his snowglobe in the same place it always was and all of his friends surrounding him with amused expressions, Ben realized what had happened. "I fainted again, didn't I?" His smile was sheepish and embarrassed.

Nick hopped up on the desk and gave the cheetah a slap on the back. "Don't worry, buddy. It happens to a lot of mammals. I mean you're the only one I know of and since I know everyone that's a pretty generous use of the word 'lot' but you know how it is." Clawhauser wasn't exactly looking reassured and got worse as Nick kept talking. Eventually Judy saved him by dragging her mate down off the desk and pulling him by his tie towards the bullpen.

"Don't be mean to Ben, Nick. You know how much meeting Gazelle meant to him and he's eternally grateful to you for that. He just really wanted to meet with her again like she invited us. You can't blame him for that." Coughing, her voice dropped suddenly as she ducked her head. "I wouldn't mind it either." Sighing internally, Nick realized he should have seen this coming and frankly he was surprised he hadn't.

"I'll see what I can do, Carrots. But you know she's out of the country for the next few months at least, right?"

"Oh I know!" Her eyes shone brightly and a wide grin was forming. "She's promoting her new album. It will be out in just a few weeks! I can't wait! Ben, Fru Fru, and I have plans to go and get prime spots in line to get early copies."

"Wait wait wait." After Nick had hauled his bunny up into their shared chair, he bowed his head and pinched his nose. "Are you telling me that the plans you made for Friday in a few weeks, the reason you asked for the day off, which still astounds me how quickly Bogo approved it by the way, was so you could stand in line at the mall for a CD? Who even uses CDs anymore?"

"Oh hush. You just bought that special anniversary edition of 'Queen' CD."

"Well that's different," he huffed irritably.

"I know. You don't own a CD player and there isn't one in your car. So you don't even have a way to listen to it. Why would you buy it?" The bashful look told her volumes. _I've got you now, sneaky fox._

"Fine. I bought it because it's Queen."

"And we're buying it because it's Gazelle. Besides, I'm transferring them all to my iCarrotPod. It's cheaper to get the CD than buy them all individually online anyway." Nick really couldn't argue with that. Release tracks online was laziness extortion.

He wasn't really upset anyhow. The CD thing was just something for him to latch onto so it didn't betray his real feelings about being left out of her plans. It was childish, he knew. He didn't need to be included all the time and they were free to spend theirs with whomever they wished. He was just a bit put out mainly because he couldn't think of anyone to hang out with himself. Finnick was so hooked around Jessica's paw that he was all but a recluse when he wasn't working, though he didn't seem to mind it at all. And being the mate of a bunny himself, Nick couldn't really blame him. Bunnies _really_ knew how to keep a fox occupied. And most of his other 'acquaintances' were well on the wrong side of that law, not to mention they had all but cut ties with him once the brass went on his chest. His only other option was someone from work.

With Judy being distracted by her phone with all of the texts she was getting about her birthday, Nick started glancing around the room. His first idea was Lylah. They had been able to get together for a few drinks every now and again but she spent most of her time with Tammy. And indeed the two were looking at each so lovey-dovey that it made him and Judy look almost tame, though the underlying case all but the most extreme of reversals. Regardless he doubted he could drag the tigress away even with the three week window. He was happy to see that she was handling herself well after her experience while they were gone. He had seen death in his time so he knew the kind of stress she was under. He was proud of her for being so strong.

His other options included McHorn who, while being quite friendly with the Wildes, was unlikely to be up for spending time outside of work. He was a devoted family mammal and rarely did anything that didn't include them. Grizzoli wouldn't be a bad choice if it wasn't for his cousin being involved with Mr. Big. While Big had forgiven the fox, many of his polar bears had not. Francine respected him a lot but she was a ladies mammal. She didn't want anything to do with any male that was not her husband. Even during the officer group outings to bars she would hang with the other females though it never stopped her from eyeing the assembled males or being an occasional flirt.

And this brought him to his most likely and favorable choice of the group. Wolford and he had bonded pretty well, both having worked extremely hard to pass as valedictorian which was a difficult thing for canines to accomplish. They had formed a significant respect for each other not to mention how much Nick had appreciated him helping Judy while he was at the Academy. _That's it. I'm cornering that wolf and asking him out for a drink._ Nick paused, his mind registering what he just thought. _That would be very awkward. Or would it?_ Deciding to do that just for laughs, he turned back to his bunny just in time to see her finish her fiftieth text. Sneaking a peak at her phone, he saw well over four hundred more notifications between texts and muzzlebook. "Carrots? Maybe you should put the phone away. Bogo's gonna enter in 3...2...1..." Both of them turned to the door to see the Chief enter the room. Except he didn't. "3...2...1..." Again, no Bogo. Judy smirked at her fox watching him struggle. "3...2...you know what, he's in the bathroom. That's gotta be i-" Interrupting him mid-sentence, the door opened and slammed into the wall as an overly irate buffalo stomped into the room.

"Ohhh, so close, Slick." Judy enjoyed seeing the vulpine sulk as his victory had all but slipped through his grasp. "Want to bet on whether or not we get patrol again?"

Nick's sulk suddenly turned into a smile at the idea of a bet. It had been too long since they had played a game of chance regarding work. Under no circumstances was he going to lose this one. "Alright Fluff. Usual stakes?"

"Yep. One favor no matter what it is, although I'm pretty certain I know what yours is going to be," she whispered, a sultry look in her eye. Nick would be lying if he said something along those lines hadn't flashed through his mind but there was something else almost equally as desirable floating around in his head.

"Fair enough. I choose we get patrol. Have been stuck on it for the last three and a half weeks after our one week probation of parking duty. No way Bogo lets us off yet."

"Hmm, that's a good point." Her admission made the vulpine grin with confidence until he realized her tone had been curious, not worried. The sight of a sly smirk on her lips also had his mouth turning downward, afraid where this was going. _She knows something._ No sooner had his thoughts finished when she all but confirmed his suspicions. "I bet we get assigned to a jewelry store theft over on 10th and Main that just happened this morning."

The confident and ridiculously specific 'guess' had Nick all but dead to rights, he figured. "Did you just-"

"Wildes. Jewelry store robbery on 10th and Main. Get a description of the suspect and find out what was stolen. Dismissed."

Turning gleefully towards her stunned mate, she kissed him lightly on the nose. "Hustle you? Yes. Yes I did. But you know you loved it." _Yes. Yes I do. At the same time, Carrots? You've learned too much. This will not stand..._

Heading out, file in paw, the duo passed the front desk where Clawhauser still seemed to be happily glowing knowing that he may get to see his favorite celebrity again. After failing to get his attention for the third time, Judy simply grabbed their cruiser keys and they headed out. It wasn't until they were in their vehicle and getting ready to pull out that Nick brought up the bet. "So, Carrots. What do you have planned for me? A little ear nibbling going down the road? Maybe some paw action below the belt? Maybe we could _knot_ do what we did in the Rainforest district a couple months ag-..." Nick broke off as a phone slid onto his lap.

While each suggestion he had made would please the bunny to no end, each of them becoming hotter and more bothersome than the last, Judy had different plans for her fox. As he turned it over, her smile only grew wider as his complaints began. "No, no no. Carrots. You can't be serious. This is cruel and unusual punishment. I have to-"

"Answer all of my birthday texts and muzzletime posts. Yep. Think of it as payback for earlier this morning." Grumbling, Nick picked up the device and began sifting through the messages.

* * *

Almost through a quarter of the messages by the time they arrived, Nick was more than happy to turn over Judy's phone. "Your family seriously scares me, Carrots. Can't they just do one mass 'happy b-day' text? What were your parents thinking giving everyone their own cells?"

"Well with so many of us it wasn't always easy to keep track of everyone." Unbuckling her seat belt, Judy began grabbing the things she found necessary when dealing with case work. Flip notebook, phone for flashlight and camera, and of course their lucky carrot pen. Holding it in her paw, she thought how crazy it was that their entire new life had started because of a simple thing of plastic. Coming back to the present, she continued as they hopped from the cruiser. "Now not only can we check in, but my parents can also use it to track us if need be. So of course, everyone feels the need to post or text or call whenever they can just so they can use the phone."

Entering the building, the first thing Nick could tell was it was a very high end store. Custom pieces were everywhere throughout the cases, none of them starting under ten thousand. He could definitely see why this would be a target, though the only thing he could see in disarray was a single case near the back corner of the store. The glass had been broken in and there were several rings and necklaces scattered on the floor nearby, almost as if the thief was in a significant rush and did not notice the jewelry wasn't making it into the bag.

"Oh thank you for coming, officers." The two paused in their surveying of the scene to turn and greet the owner, a dark brown rabbit in a very pristine and expensive red silk shirt and two-piece suit. Nick wanted to hate it but he had to admit the rabbit pulled the look off very well. "I haven't touched anything except to unlock for you both and to check if anyone was still in my store." Clearly familiar with police investigations and how they worked, they were grateful for not making their job harder than it was. Most civilians tended to do their own _'_ investigating', usually causing much more harm than good as they would have to wheedle out the differences between perp and victim.

"That was very helpful, Mr-?" Looking over at the gray rabbit, the buck's eyes lit up slightly, something not lost on either officer. Hoping to avoid another incident with an overly amorous rabbit, Judy attempted to speed it along. "Sir? Your name?"

"Oh where are my manners? Diggle. Oliver Diggle. I must say I am quite excited that it was you they sent over. The work you have done to help the city has been nothing short of extraordinary." Taking her paw lightly, he leaned down and gently kissed it. Judy's eyes flashed but it was the sound of a very low growl coming from the fox that had the rabbit glancing over, missing the look of ire on the bunny's face. "And Mr-, sorry, _Officer_ Wilde as well! This is truly a wonderful morning outside of having been robbed of course." He reached out and vigorously shook the todd's paw. "I'm truly thrilled to meet you both. Now, who will be in charge of this investigation? Officer Ho-"

"Wilde." The quick snappish behavior made the store owner reel back slightly.

"I'm sorry?"

"Wilde. My name is Officer Wilde." It was impossible to miss the cold look in her eyes as she glared at the rabbit as if he had done something wrong.

"Wilde?" Glancing between the two, a look of realization cross over his features. "Yes, of course! Well I hope I'm not too belated in offering you my congratulations." Confused slightly by how cheerful he seemed to be at finding out they were mated, they gave each other quizzical looks. "Oh come now." Still beaming, Mr. Diggle joyfully gave them amused looks. "I am in the business of love. Look around. Do you see how many engagement and wedding rings I have displayed around the store? Any and all couples are welcomed here, especially you two."

"You don't seem to be too disturbed about us being a pred/prey couple," the fox asked cautiously. He knew there were a fair amount of them around these days, but rabbits tended to be more conservative in their nature, and one of the few who weren't was also the one that shared his bed each night.

"And be hypocritical? I think not." Rushing to the back room he was soon back, picture frame in paw. Turning it around, he showed the couple a picture of the rabbit dressed in a very formal tuxedo along with an otter in an equally nice tux though with a black shirt instead of white. "My husband Wallace. Yep, been married four years now. Was a little difficult getting the family to accept my cute hubby but they came around in the end."

Seeing him lost in his own memories by the picture, Judy tried to be understanding but eventually she had to intrude. "Mr. Diggle? Mr. Diggle?" Hearing his name, the buck blinked as if he suddenly found himself in a different world. "Mr. Diggle. We need to examine the area if that's alright."

"Oh yes, yes please do." Stepping aside, Oliver let her pass.

"Nick? Why don't you take Mr. Diggle and go check the surveillance footage. I'll look and see if the suspect left any clues behind."

"Alright, Carrots. Call if you need me." He sent her a smile which she returned in kind along with a wink and a kiss. Following the overly enthusiastic rabbit down the hall, Nick couldn't help but look at all of the family portraits that graced the halls. Pictures of Oliver and his husband stood out a lot however there were several of the rabbit's family and the otter's family combined. He realized that they had very few pictures in their home at all and decided to rectify that.

"Here it is." The todd found himself staring into a moderately sized room with a small lounge chair and a television in the corner. "This is Wallace's den where he either relaxes or plays out his designs. He finds designing buildings while reclined tends to keep him energized. Personally I think he just likes the chair. Although I must say I like it too whenever there's an opportunity." He winked at the fox before realizing what he just implied and tried to stutter out an apology.

"Don't worry, Diggle. I'm mated to a bunny, remember? I know _all_ about how you rabbits can be." Both now chuckling at the store owner's faux pas, Oliver remembered something he wanted to ask the vulpine as he watched the fox scour the video footage.

"Speaking of being mated... I have to ask. I noticed you two weren't wear-"

"Shh!" Putting his digit to his lips, he silenced the bunny before poking his head out into the hall. Not seeing the gray ears with tops of black he was used to, he pulled back and let out a hefty sigh. "Yeah, there's a reason for that."

"Did she not want to do a traditional fox ceremony?" He wouldn't have been surprised if she had not. Most interspecies couples had difficulty adapting to one another's cultures.

"No, no. She actually insisted upon having one. The problem was it was an impromptu but necessary mating before I could get them ready. She knew everything about the ceremony which was incredibly impressive, though she did not know about the last bit."

"Not surprising. From what I've read she's a country bunny. I doubt they went into much detail about fox traditions out there. I really only know it myself because of being in the business. Even then almost no foxes will buy that sort of thing from me but I do recommend certain crafters for them."

"That's very genero-...Gotcha!" Straightening, he yelled out the door. "Carrots! I got 'em!"

"That's great, Nick. I was just about to tell you I found some fur trapped under some of the glass in the case. Looks like weasel fur. I'm willing to bet it's-" Nick stepped aside showing the figure on the video.

"Weaselton."

* * *

"Do you think he's gonna try to fence it?" Weaselton wasn't the most genius of criminals, though he rarely actually robbed stores. The few times he did it was usually because he was commissioned to, such as his involvement during the Nighthowler case.

"I don't think so, Carrots. Remember what Diggle said? That necklace is worth $100k but only as is. It's because of who it's crafted by that it's worth so much. That Mister Phen-, Phenyl-, Phelynie-... _that_ guy. The gold and gems alone would only net him maybe two grand but after a fence or pawn he'd only walk away with maybe eight or nine hundred. Not worth the risk of jail time. My bet is that he was paid to do the job and that someone really wants that necklace. That's why the rest of the cases were left alone. And they must be paying him some big cash to have ignored the rest of the jewels." It never made sense to Nick why anyone would hire Duke. Sure he was cheap, but his work was sloppy and he wasn't exactly tight-lipped when it came to interrogations.

"Any idea where he might be?" Knowing everyone as much as he did, Nick had led them to Duke within ten minutes during their investigations into the Nighthowlers. Nowadays he'd been so far out of the loop that a considerable amount of his knowledge had dried up as the more criminally inclined changed up their routines due to one of their own switching sides. That did not mean however that he was completely without his resources.

"As a matter of fact, I do have a couple." Pulling out his phone, he checked the lock screen quickly. "Alright, it's Thursday. Odds are he's working behind Bob's Fish Mart over in Tundratown."

"Right after pulling a jewelry store robbery? Guy really doesn't believe in laying low, does he?" Shaking her head in disbelief that Weaselton was still alive after all the stupid stunts he's pulled, she pulled onto the next ramp leading out of Downtown towards Tundratown. "So. Nick. I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What's on your cute little mind, bun bun?" If Nick appeared worried by the flash of fire in her eyes or the sudden tightening of her paws on the steering wheel, he didn't show it. A confident smirk was all she got out of him. Getting ready to rip into him, she suddenly found herself speechless when his claws ran up the back of her ears, temporarily blinding her with pleasure. Not something recommended when said mammal is driving. Luckily the roads were mostly clear. After a tense jerk of the wheel back into their lane, Judy tried to be angry with him.

"Dammit Nick. We could have gotten hurt."

"But you're not annoyed with me anymore, are you?" He fully knew the answer just as she did, but that didn't stop him from wanting an admission. She sulked for several seconds, purposefully not looking at the fox, before finally accepting defeat.

"No," she muttered, almost to herself. "You know I can't ever stay mad with you. I want to swear it's the Bond but I think it's just your stupid charm with your stupid smirk and your stupid, beautiful eyes."

Nick let out a real smile, his defenses having been disarmed expertly by the deceptively innocent young doe. Even though he loved hearing things like that from her, they still unsettled him after so many years of being in the gutter before he met her. Blushing lightly, he coughed before quickly changing the subject, reaching for his coffee. "So uh, Carrots. There was something you wanted to ask me?"

"Right!" Judy's ears perked up excitedly. "I wanted to know what you've been hiding from me." A sudden choking sound from the passenger seat had Judy whipping around in alarm, just in time to see a spray of coffee splash all over the dash and her partner coughing hard. "Nick! Are you okay?"

After wheezing for several seconds and wiping away tears welling up in his eyes, Nick nodded hesitantly, a few more coughs wracking his body before shuddering to a stop. "Sorry about that, Carrots. Wrong pipe. So how far until Bob's Fish Mart?" The tenseness in his voice could easily be attributed to the choking. The small twitches of his ears could be explained by the coughing spasms. But it was the way his eyes flickered that caught her attention.

"Nick? You wouldn't be trying to dodge the question, would you?" Her voice was sweet and laced with honey, but he knew there were barbs beneath those words. He was going to traverse these waters carefully.

"There was a question?" _Wow, Nick. Way to play it smooth._

_You try being a silver-tongued fox when you're up against that bunny. One, she's intimidating as hell. Two, we love her to death. And three, piss her off and we won't be burrowing into that rabbit-hole anytime soon._

_Wow. That was both insightful and ridiculously perverted._

_Thank you, I try._

"I asked you what you were hiding. First there was Gideon who made you act all weird when he asked about the ceremony and I heard you and Mr. Diggle speaking back at the store about fox traditions. I couldn't make out enough of it but I did hear you shush him so obviously something is up. Are you going to tell me or do I have to figure this out for myself?"

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Nick turned to face his bunny. She was still driving but she could see enough of him to read his face. "I'm not going to tell you, Carrots but I want you to let me explain why." Her body was tense and he could see her gritting her teeth, but she nodded. Patience and the unknown were two things she was not good with. She always wanted to know everything and she never wanted to waste time in _not_ finding it out. "Okay. There's...something in fox tradition that deals with the two of us but because of our situation I don't want you to know for a little while longer. It's important." Lifting his paw, he put his digits just off the side of her cheek, barely brushing the fur. "Do you trust me?"

Leaning into his touch, the gray rabbit sighed as his fur melded with her own. Pulling off the highway into a park n' ride lot, Judy stopped the vehicle and unbuckled before climbing into her mate's lap. Curling up onto his chest, she purred when his arms encircled her body. "Of course I trust you, sweetie. If you tell me we need to wait, then we will." Settling down, she burrowed deeper into his chest, letting his paw travel along her ears.

"Um, Carrots?"

"Mhm?"

"Shouldn't we be getting back on the road?"

A silent war raged within the rabbit between doing what she needed to do versus what she _wanted_ to do. _I do enough of what I 'need' to. I'm taking the 'want' this time._ "Duke will still be there in half an hour. Right now, I want my fox to myself."

* * *

They hadn't stayed a full half hour as Nick had informed her that the closer it got to lunch, the more likely Weaselton would have skipped out for the day. Luckily there had been enough contact for Judy to feel re-energized, the Bond being sated for now. She was starting to feel a much stronger pull during the day than she was used to. The past couple of weeks it had been growing increasingly harder to not demand a physical connection with her fox much more often. It didn't matter if it was sexual or just tight cuddling, though she knew which one they would both prefer. She could tell the Bond was strengthening which was a cause for concern. Thankfully the scent was all she needed to avoid a health concern but being out of contact for a long while tended to cause her anxiety to skyrocket. She only hoped it would be easier to control her body's desires than it was to deal with her possessive and territorial instincts. But that was something to discuss with her sister later. For now, they had a thief to find.

It wasn't until they had parked and left the cruiser that they realized they had made a huge judgment in error. Due to their haste at getting on the road, excited about being back on a case instead of patrolling, they had neglected to collect their District Preparation packs. As such, they were suddenly finding themselves in the middle of a light snowfall, ice and snow under paw, with zero winter wear.

The harsh wind cut through their fur without mercy and the snow peppering their fur melted upon contact with their warm bodies, steadily making them become damp. "I th-think w-we made a...terr-terrib-terrible mistake, Nick." The bunny's teeth were chattering. She was not used to such extreme cold weather. The few times she had been to the district without proper gear, the experience had not been a pleasant one.

Nick was faring a little better. After spending nearly every morning, or sometimes early afternoon, making pawpsicles in the snow, he had grown to tolerate the annoying cold though not for very long. "Let's just grab Duke and bring him back to the precinct. I need a cup of boiling hot coffee before I'm able to sell myself as a pawpsicle."

Luckily they had been able to park the cruiser near the fish mart so their time spent in the wind was minimal. "Don't bother even speaking to Tony, the owner. He doesn't care for cops, or customers for that matter."

"Brilliant plan then to open a fish mart. Don't care about anyone or anything. Wonderful business plan." Hesitant to ask the obvious question, she found she didn't need to as Nick voiced it for her.

"Yeah, I know. Should be called 'Tony's' but he says 'Bob's' flows better or something."

"What the heck kinda fish are those?" Judy, unable to ignore her innate curiosity, had stopped by one of the tanks where some live fish were stored. She was currently looking at one that had small spines on it's body.

Smiling down at her, Nick leaned in close and whispered gently in her ear. "Watch this." Lightly tapping his claw on the glass, she gasped as the fish blew up to twice it's size, almost looking like a ball with big spines. "Pufferfish. Very difficult to cook properly. Get it wrong and it's death for dinner. Literally. Poisons you. However if it's cooked right, it can be very delicious." Judy was having trouble trying to decide if the mammals eating the potentially poisonous food were brave or fools.

"Kind of a big gamble, isn't it?"

A toothy grin from the red fox told her he had indeed taken part in that gamble. "Life needs some risk every now and again. We know that all too well, Carrots. Now, Duke should be out back trying to sell his own 'catch of the day' at a slashed price compared to Tony." Turning the corner, they found Nick's hunch was correct, the weasel facing away from them trying to haggle with an arctic fox. "Hey Duke. Long time no see."

Recognizing the voice and knowing what he had recently done, Weaselton whipped around seeing a two blue uniforms and a pair of green and a pair of purple eyes locked onto him. "Crap." He grabbed his bag and made to flee.

"Don't bother, Weaselton." That voice was far more commanding and unforgiving. Memories of being dangled over an icy hole flashed through his mind and had him pulling up short. "You're just gonna be in the cruiser tired. However," she cracked her knuckles, her eyes flashing with glee, "I find myself having missed my morning workout and chasing you down might be just what I need. So please. Run."

His gaze darting between the two officers, Nick simply shrugged with an amused smile on his own muzzle. Duke sighed, knowing he was caught and not looking forward to being beaten by the bunny, the donut incident still fresh in his mind even after so many months. "Alright. Fine. Take me in. Whatever." Judy looked disappointed but Nick was thoroughly pleased he didn't need to go chasing a weasel through the snow. Cuffing him and putting him in the cruiser, the duo headed back to the precinct.

It didn't take long before they were walking through the doors, weasel in between them. Nick filled out the paperwork while Judy chatted it up with Clawhauser about Nick talking to Gazelle to meet up when she got back to Zootopia in a few months. Watching from the corner of his eye as the cheetah's face beamed in happiness, Nick suddenly felt guilty about having downplayed it this morning and promised himself he would get in touch with the singer as soon as he could.

A few minutes later they were sitting across from a very sour looking mammal. "C'mon Duke. We know it was you. We have your fur at the scene." Judy tried not to show her aggravation at having to deal with the weasel again. This was not her first encounter with the rather inept criminal nor did she suspect it would be her last. Weaselton was too valuable to the ZPD as a snitch to put him away for long. So all they needed was to get the name of his employer. However, in order to get that, they would have to go through his song and dance of one hundred and one excuses.

"Listen cottontail. I don't know what you're talking about. I was out catchin' those fish all morning. Ask anyone. My uncle Tom was with me the whole time."

"You don't have an uncle Tom, Duke." Nick, who had been playing on his phone the last several minutes, decided to step up to the table. "You have two aunts. Mary and Annabeth. Both who are widowed and extremely nice mammals."

"Well, uncle may be too strong a title." He was starting to sweat now but was still snatching at straws to save himself. "He was a friend of my dad's. Always a good guy. Takes me fishin' all the ti-..." Nick had finished tapping away at his phone at turned the screen to the weasel. Now looking at a video of himself smashing the case and gathering up the necklace, Duke suddenly found himself with no excuses left. "Aw crap."

"So, ready to talk, Weselton?"

"Weaselton." The response was automatic, the mammal always annoyed with others getting his name wrong, which was exactly what Nick was aiming for. An off-steady Weaselton was an easily dealt with Weaselton.

"What did you do with the necklace?"

"Necklace? Don't know nothin' 'bout no necklace." Sighing, Nick zoomed in on his phone. Even with the image turning gritty, it clearly showed Duke leaving the store with a necklace in paw. "Double crap. Alright, fine. Guy hired me to get the necklace. And _only_ the necklace. I don't get paid if anything else is taken."

The partners exchanged glances. Someone paying a thief to target a specific item wasn't out of the ordinary but demanding the rest of the store be untouched was certainly odd. "That's a very specific rule there, Duke. Did you follow it?"

"Course I did. Five grand in cash is better than attempting to sell stolen jewelry. By the time I'd get it fenced the numbers would be out to every major pawn shop in the city." His glare was laced with contempt for the two officers. "Look Wilde. Cottontail. I don't like you, especially after threatening me with getting iced. But you ain't ever done me horribly wrong and you've even bought some DVD's from me, Wilde," Judy turned to look at Nick with a raised brow getting a helpless shrug from her mate in response, "so I'll toss you a bone long as I don't see the inside of a jail cell."

"You rob a poor older mammal of their possessions and you think you're just gonna walk fr-mmmph!" Her voice was suddenly muffled by a large paw clamped over her mouth.

"We'll see what we can do, Duke." Knowing that he would see his rabbit glaring daggers at him if he glanced down, Nick kept his gaze on the weasel trying to will him to speak.

"Alright. Guy is nuts, let's start with that. Weirdo. Eccentric type. Calls himself-"

* * *

"Jack Sparrow?!" After escorting Weaselton down to holding, Nick promising he would look into getting him out soon, the two had hurried to the Chief's office to report on their findings. "Are you sure Weaselton said he called himself 'Jack Sparrow'?"

"Think there should be a 'Captain' in there somewhere, sir." Judy buried her head in her paws, Nick staring smugly at the upset buffalo. The glare in return would have been enough to cause a lesser mammal to melt under the deadly gaze, however Nick had become rather immune to such looks in his several years.

"Shut up, Wilde." He looked back down at the file they had delivered and snorted heavily. "Alright, I'm taking you two off the case. I want you back out on patrol for the rest of the shift." Both of the mammals jaws were left hanging by the finality of that statement.

"What?!"

"But sir! We're so close! If we press Weaselton just a little mor-" Judy began before cutting off mid-sentence.

"No. I'm turning over the case to the detectives in Tundratown. They've been after this mammal for three years. His real name is Aloysius Zimmerplots."

"Jeez, if that was my name I'd call myself something crazy, too." His voice came out a low mutter only for his bunny to hear but knew that Bogo would hear it as well. He was thoroughly pleased to get both a giggle from his mate and a snort from his boss.

"As I was saying. He's some sort of eccentric millionaire. Obsessed with a belief in magic talismans and the like. This is only the latest theft he's arranged. With Weaselton's testimony it may be enough to get a warrant for his home this time." Placing his hooves on the desk, he the Chief gave them a look of understanding. "Listen, your track records are superb and I know that, given the time, you could probably catch this guy red-pawed. However, Detectives Burchell and Jeer have put three years into this case and I will not tread on them." The dejected looks hit the buffalo hard but he stood fast, though he did them a slim chance of hope. " _If_ the detectives ask for your assistance, I will let you do so, but you should know that they are highly unlikely to even consider help from their colleagues let alone two first years from a different precinct."

"We understand, sir. The important thing is that the case gets solved, regardless if we are involved or not." Nick was impressed with how well Judy hid her disappointment, though he knew she was completely sincere. She was the model officer. Outside of the aggressive tendencies, relation to the mob, mated to her partner, and use of police equipment for non-intended use, usually of a sexual nature, of course.

Bogo was also proud of how his officers were taking the news of being removed from the case, though he expected nothing less from the smallest of the two. He had grown quite fond of the rabbit over the past year and hated to gut her enthusiasm though it must be done on occasion. "Good. Now head out to the Meadowlands for the afternoon. Assistant Chief Cudster is hard pressed for help over there right now due to protests over the new logging mandates. Dismissed."

Hopping down from the chair, the two mammals made their way from the office and headed down the staircase. "I mean it makes sense. They've been on the case for longer than we have, they know the facts better, it just seems like the smarter way to go by having the stay on the case. Right?" Not getting a response she turned and saw her partner deep in thought, his pensive expression tell her he was musing over something serious. "Nick? What is it?"

"I was just thinking...Nah, not important." Rather than settle her mind, it only served to ramp up her curiosity.

"What Nick? What were you thinking?"

"It's just..." Judy leaned forward, expecting him to reveal some deeply thought out plan to getting back on the case or linking something together nobody had thought of yet. "How cool would it be to work on a case where the suspect was named Captain Jack Sparrow?"

The rabbit was dumbfounded. She really shouldn't be surprised. A case where an eccentric millionaire is stealing jewelry and objects that he's convinced are magical and the only thing her fox can focus on is the fact that a mammal with one of the geekiest names in history would rename themselves after a fictional pirate. Grabbing his tie she led him towards the parking bay. "Let's go, dumb fox." She grinned at the way she got to lead him around, showing to the world that he belonged to her. It made her feel special that such a powerful mammal compared to herself would willingly join with her and treat her with such love and kindness. She could even love how much of a kit he was himself.

"Hey do you think he has a boat?"

* * *

"What a way to finish the day, huh Carrots? A good ole riot control between tree huggers and loggers."

"There was nothing 'good' about that, Nick." The afternoon had been a hellish experience. What had started as a pleasant patrol assignment had quickly deteriorated as more officers were called in to quell the dangerous situation near the Meadowlands City Hall. The protests had been peaceful for most of the week. Things would get a little heated but never violent. The two sides however were plenty vocal about their stances on the issue.

The logging companies found the new regulations were harsh but overall fair. The naturists however felt they were far too lenient. They had been pushing to ban logging in the city for over two decades even though that section of the Meadowlands had been constructed _for_ lumber forests. The logging companies would clear an area, plant new trees, then next year move to the next grove, planting as they went. This would continue in a large grove rotation until the first set of new trees were ready to be cut. It had been done the same way for nearly fifty years without incident. This wasn't enough for the opposition though. They wanted no trees in the city to be harmed.

The Wildes had been called in for backup as tempers had flared much quicker than the days prior and the duo arrived just in time to see bricks and bottles thrown from each side. They had been provided with riot gear and sent to handle the smaller section of the line. For several hours they had stood against the horde on both sides until finally the two groups had broken up and the violence was over. It had been not the best ending to her work day for the birthday girl but she settled for knowing she would be headed home to spend a quiet evening with her fox soon enough.

"I'm gonna hit the showers, Nick. I suggest you do the same. You smell like beer, sweat, and...nachos?"

"Don't ask, Carrots. That was a very weird riot let's just go with that. I'll be in the locker room." The two separated. It was the only time in the water where they weren't together. And while they knew it was necessary as Bogo would never allow even married couples to be in the same shower stall, it certainly hurt to be apart. Judy took a very quick shower, making sure to get off all the sweat and any unpleasant odors from the crowd control experience off of her before heading to grab her street clothes. However, a very odd thing happened when she opened her bag.

Instead of seeing her normal jeans and flannel shirt, Judy lifted out a beautiful violet dress with gold trim. Except for the fact that it was her bag, the dress was her size, and the color matched her eyes, she would think she had grabbed the wrong bag by mistake. However, after eliminating the obvious, she was left with one conclusion. Her mate had swapped her standard clothes out for the new dress, presumably before leaving home. Knowing he never did anything for her without a reason, Judy slipped it on, noting that it hugged her curves and fit her perfectly. It must have cost quite a lot but she knew he would be insulted if she insisted they return it. She didn't normally let him splurge on her so she accepted the few times he did.

Getting ready to leave, a few other officers entered the room getting ready to shower and head out themselves. Francince, Tammy, Lylah, and Fangmeyer all stopped and stared at the bunny all dressed up and ready to kill.

"Wow, Wilde. You look incredible." Tammy couldn't help but give her an appraising look, taking in the rabbit's tight form.

"Yeah, gotta say you look beautiful." Judy couldn't help but blush as Fangmeyer eyed her up and down.

"I'm gonna go with amazing. No. Ravishing." Lylah made it three felines, all complimenting the bunny's body, making her feel slightly proud of herself. If three lean and graceful big cats thought she looked good then who was she to think differently.

"All I'm gonna say is Nick's gonna be panting hard when you get out there. And that most likely won't be the only thing _hard_ either." Judy sighed wearily as the elephant gave her a wink and a sly smile.

"Thanks, Francine. Well, I suppose I should head out there. See what that fox has planned." They bade her good night, moving towards their own activities while she left the room and walked up the ramp towards the atrium. She had never been dressed like this while at the precinct, so she had no doubt she would turn a few heads. And indeed as she entered the lobby there more than a few who stood to get a look at the rabbit.

"Wow, Wilde. You look...different." Judy laughed as McHorn tried to find the right words to use, not wanting to upset his co-worker.

"Thank you Dwayne. It's gift from Nick. I think. He didn't leave a card." The rhino gave her a grin before continuing about his tasks. A few others gave her appraising looks and called out comments. Wolford even let out a fake howl with a wink towards the rabbit who suddenly felt an arm encircle her waist.

"Eyes off, buddy. This pretty thing is my date for the evening." The two canines eyed each other in a mock stare down before Freddie threw up his paws in surrender. They all shared a laugh as Nick steered her towards the exit.

"So where are we going, Slick?" She took a moment and gazed at her fox. He was dressed in a black suit with a deep green shirt and purple tie. He looked very dashing and she told him as much.

"Thanks, Fluff." He smiled down at her, the action being extremely genuine making her heart flutter. He had told her many times how she was the only one who could see through his walls and so he had simply stopped putting them up around her. Everything that he was was what she would see. "As for where we are going, you'll see. I have a surprise for you. Something I've been wanting to do for a very long time."

"Nick, this dress is far too nice to be doing _that_ i-"

"O. M. Goodness!" Both of the mammals groaned quietly, knowing they just added another five or ten minutes to their night. "You look so beautiful , Judy! And Nick, you certainly clean up nice."

"I always look good, Spots. I'm just usually outshined by the radiance of this beautiful mammal next to me." Clawhauser could not contain an 'awwww' while Judy blushed hard enough for her ears to turn beet red. "Well Spots, we've got somewhere to be so we gotta skedaddle."

"Okay you two crazy kits. Have a good night!"

"Night Ben!" Judy had started getting so excited she began to bounce to the garage. "So where _are_ we going?" Nick couldn't help but watch her tail bounce along with her and his thoughts began to drift towards much more impure territory.

"It's a surprise, Carrots. A birthday surprise so don't bother trying to wheedle it out of me." Judy paused a few yards ahead of him and well out of sight of the rest of the lobby. She ran her paws down over her curves and flicked her tail towards the tod who now stood as a statue behind her. Slowly turning her head and torso, the bunny winked seductively while sliding one shoulder strap down her arm, causing the fox to start panting. His will however was stronger than his lust, at least if he stopped it now. "Sorry Fluff. Not gonna spill." She huffed and slid her dress back to normal and strode out the door, leaving Nick to play catch-up. Slipping around the rabbit he opened her door, letting her climb in before closing it gently and heading to his own side. "I promise it's worth the wait," he said with a grin, one that Judy had to mirror. She hated surprises until actually being surprised. It was the waiting she hated.

Thankfully she did not have to wait long as they pulled into their destination after a short drive. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the lights rising from the fountain in the front of the restaurant. "Our special table." She took his paw and nuzzled into it. "You always know what to do, don't you, Slick?"

"I certainly do try, Carrots. I certainly do try." Getting out, the two headed for the entrance, Judy's paws wrapped around the fox's arm. They moved past the line, as they always did. It was not due to any sense of entitlement or self-importance. A standing invitation from the owner meant that reservations were not required. Even if they weren't, Nick had made one especially for that night, drinks and meals already ordered so there would be no interruptions.

"Nicky!" Milos came scurrying over quickly, all excited to see the couple. "You and Mrs. Wilde look very nice tonight. I take it you're here for your table?"

"Yes we are, Milos." Nick paused and leaned in out of habit, even though he knew Judy could still hear him. "And the other arrangements?"

"All taken care of, m'boy. Now you two head up there and have a wonderful evening. Oh, and happy birthday, Mrs. Wilde." Judy thanked him as the badger hustled off, working hard to handle the dinner rush.

"What arrangements, Nick?" The fox simply smiled and led her towards the staircase to the roof. She sighed, though not in annoyance. Her impatience at not being able to wait another twenty steps was what she really found annoying. It was driving her mad though, not knowing what was beyond that door. As if Nick knew what was going through her mind, he paused dramatically causing her to shift her feet anxiously. Finally, after what felt like days, he pushed open the door and led her onto the roof.

Her breath caught in her chest at the sight before her. The rows of wildflowers and hanging lanterns were the same, beautiful though they were. It was what was new that had her eyes tearing up. Dozens of flowers littered the walkway in front of them. Daffodils and daisies lined the stone path, rose petals scattered down the entire stretch for her to walk on. As the pair moved closer to the table, she noted that for the first time there were servers gathered around, waiting with trays of food and two glasses of champagne as well as a bottle of white wine nearby. Nick pulled her chair out for her and softly pushed it in once she was seated. One of the servers laid out a covered tray in front of her and lifted the lid to reveal a delicious looking carrot bisque. It smelled heavenly and Judy had difficulty waiting for her mate to be seated, his dinner being a smoked salmon.

After making sure the two had everything, the servers departed leaving them alone surrounded by the beautiful atmosphere. Looking around at the beauty, it was only then that Judy noticed the several bouquets surrounding them. "Nick are those...are those tulips?!"

"Are they the flowers rabbits hold above all others to be a declaration of love? Yes. Yes they are." Overcome with emotion, she rose from her seat and moved around the table to curl up on her fox's lap. "Carrots, you know your food is gonna get-" She placed a digit on his lips, signaling him to hush. He did so, wrapping his arms around her ever so gently, careful not to ruin her dress.

"This is the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me." While he had done many things, Nick had outshone even himself that night. And he wasn't finished.

"There's something else." Sitting up excitedly, her eyes wide and her smile bright, she looked at him eagerly. "You remember how you were asking about a secret I've been keeping earlier? One that dealt with foxes?" She nodded, hopeful that she was going to finally learn what he had been hiding. "When we mated, you know it was a little bit sudden. Kind of a necessity rather than a plan, though I had always intended to do it at some point," he reassured her as her eyes lost a little spark in them. "There was something to the tradition that was not ready yet. Something very important but something you did not learn about. No book would have been able to tell you. It's known mostly only to foxes."

Digging in his jacket, Nick produced a hand crafted wooden box, about the size of a deck of cards. "These are very important to us, and to you now as well. It took quite a lot of effort to get these the traditional way." He opened the box to reveal two silver rings. He kept his eyes on Judy's face, watching as she started tearing up. "These are mating rings, the fox equivalent to a wedding ring, though much deeper in significance." Lifting the small one from the box, he turned it so she could admire it before taking her paw. Looking at her for acceptance, she nodded frantically, telling him she wanted it more than anything. Happily slipping it onto her finger, he rotated it so she could see the special gem in the moonlight. An emerald in the shape of a fox shone back at her. "This will tell anyone that you and I are one. They may see it as a simple wedding band, but any fox and most wolves will recognize it, and the green of the fox will signify to them that it's me. The eye color determines the stone, and the shape that of the mammal." He lifted his own, showing a large amethyst on the shape of a rabbit. "Rarely is the stone _not_ a fox. It took a while for me to find the fox who crafted my parents rings and even longer to convince him to make one for a rabbit. Very old fashioned."

Judy cradled her paw, unable to take her eyes off the ring she now wore. "I don't know what to say, Nick."

"You don't need to say anything. You are Judith Wilde. My mate. My wife. My other half of my heart and of my soul. I'm just sorry it took so long for me to get these. They are meant to be given during the first act of mating."

"So..." She began sheepishly, not sure how to properly ask the next question. "Does this mean we're _now_ mates?"

Nick smiled, knowing where the hesitancy was coming from. "No, Carrots. We've always been mates. We simply had the ceremony without the rings before. It's just the last missing piece but it doesn't mean we weren't truly together before. We mated, you took your oath and I took mine. From that moment on until the end of time, we were bound." Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers, passionately kissing his bunny. They felt their control starting to slip and reluctantly pulling away. "I, uh, don't think Milos would appreciate if we did that."

Judy started to smile until she hear her phone go off. Checking it, she saw her parents on the caller ID. "Or them seeing it if I accidentally accepted it." She moved to reject the call but he stopped her.

"I've been expecting this. Go ahead." Giving him an odd look, Judy swiped to accept the call and was immediately bombarded by her mother.

"Did he do it? Nicholas, are you there? Did you give it to her?! Oooh I want to see!"

"Mom. Mom. Mom! Slow down," Judy pleaded. Bonnie forced herself to calm, having a very difficult time of it as excited as she was. "Now what is going on?"

"Didn't Nick tell-...Did he um, give you something special today? Oh and Happy Birthday, dear."

Rolling her eyes at the ridiculous method of wishing her a happy birthday, Judy focused on the real reason she had called. "Yes, he did give me something special. I take it you had something to do with this?"

Her eyes wide, Bonnie waved her paws frantically. "Oh no. No I certainly did not. This was all Nick's doing. He asked me if he would be allowed though. Something about not being able to ask before and about vixens being the ones who give permission? I'm not really sure what he was talking about but the rings were so romantic the way he described them."

"You're right about that," she beamed happily. Lifting her paw, she showed her mother the silver band with the emerald stone."

Her mother positively glowed, her paws clapping together a mile a minute."Oh and it's the shape of a fox! That's so beautiful! Oh my sweet girl I'm so happy for you."

"Is... is dad there?" Judy's hopeful voice at being able to show her father the ring was quashed as her mother turned a sad expression towards the camera.

"No. Your father refused to be here." Judy's eyes started to well up, upset that he wouldn't be okay with it. "No no! Not for any reason like that!" Bonnie cried out. "He's...he's having trouble accepting that another of his babies are growing up. I think the idea of the ring made it even more solid in his mind than it was before. And you know him. He said he'd call you and you can show him then. Once he stops with the whole crying thing." Bonnie looked off camera before leaning in and whispering. "He's gone through three boxes of tissues and is now using our quilt." Judy giggled while Nick tried to contain a snort. There was a crash on the other end of the line that had Bonnie looking behind her scowling. "Dammit Michael. Every time with the plates. Okay, bye hon. I love you. Love you too Nick."

"Bye!" The pair waved to the now blank screen before Judy settled back onto the foxes chest. "Wow I can't believe you told my mom. And that she kept it a secret! Normally mom can't keep a secret to save her li-" It was the sound of her phone that interrupted her mid-sentence again. "Oh, It's Jessica." Keying the accept button, she waited until her sister's face flashed onto the screen. "Hey sis! Happy birthday!"

"Yeah, you too. Hey. Can I see it?" Judy was confused for a moment before flashing back to what she was just telling Nick. Putting her face in her paws, her sister confirmed her fears. "Yeah, mom told me. I wanna see!" Judy raised her paw to show the ring to her sister. The emerald flashed brilliantly in the lamplight causing the doe to swoon. "Oh it's so beautiful!" Judy watched her slap something out of frame and a deep voice let out a curse. "Why don't you get nice things like that for me?"

"Nice what?" A small fennec slid onto the screen looking for whatever had caused his girl to get all emotional all of a sudden. "Oh damn." His gaze shifted to the red fox in the background. "Damn, Wilde. I was wondering when you were gonna do that."

Nick could only shrug. "Took me a while to find Gregory. Moved out of the city. But there was no way I was going to keep my part of the oath incomplete." Finnick nodded understandably. While it wasn't really a tradition for fennecs, he was more than familiar with it having heard Mrs Wilde speak of it many times in his youth.

"If you want one, sister dear, you just have to vow with him and get married. Sort of." Finnick's eyes suddenly widened and looked like he was about to panic. However it was Jessica who looked the most frightened. Judy knew that while she loved being in relationships, Jessica was very afraid of commitment. Finnick was the most serious relationship she had ever had, but it looked like it could be the one. She had even left Bunnyburrow and moved to Zootopia to be closer to him. "By the way, Jess. How's the job going?"

The conversation finally steering in a direction she could handle, Jessica's face lit up. "Oh it's been fantastic. I just submitted a design for next season's wrap skirts. My boss seemed particularly excited for it."

"That's great, Jess! I'm thrilled you're finding so much success so soon after getting to the city. I trust Finnick's been treating you well?" Her sister's sly smile dd not go unnoticed, making Judy suddenly feel nervous about what was next to come.

"Oh very. Speaking of, it _is_ still my birthday and I feel my Teddy Bear hasn't given me enough of a present today. Think I'll go take advantage of the next few hours. See ya, sis. Love ya." With that she was gone and Judy, though slightly disturbed by the unwanted images now playing through her mind, did her best to forget it and leaned back into her fox once more.

"Now where were we?" Her phone went off again, ruining the moment. "I swear if this keeps up all night..." Judy was grumbling heavily as she accepted the next call, though Nick was smirking slightly. "Oh. Hey Sarah!"

"Hey sis! Happy birthday!" Her face, which Judy had seen too often sad and torn down, the world being far too heavy for her shoulders to bear, was now bright. Alive. With a vigor she had never seen shining through. She knew who was to thank for that and she said a silent thank you to Trisha.

"Thanks Sarah!" The two does were practically beaming, both happy for one another. "Look what Nick gave me." Holding up her paw as she had for her mother and Jessica, Judy twisted it so that the fire of the lamp reflected in the emerald.

"Oh Judy. It's so beautiful." She looked up and caught Nick's eye. "Way to go, Nick. That is one fantastic ring."

"Hey Sundae." Nick had a soft spot for the younger sister, often treating her as if she was his own. "It's a matching set." He held up his own paw to show off the purple rabbit gem.

"Oh Trisha should totally see these." The thought of Trisha being on the camera suddenly reminded Judy that there was something she needed to tell her sister.

"Sarah? I need to tell you something. I don't want to because it might do something horrible but I can't keep it from you." Sarah looked a bit apprehensive. The words seemed very serious which was never good around her. Judy almost failed to say anything but the reassuring squeeze of her mate's paw gave her the strength she needed. "This morning, as she was leaving...Trisha umm...she kissed me, Sarah."

There was silence for several seconds as the younger doe let that register in her mind. "She...kissed you."

"Yes, Sarah. I'm sorry, I didn't want to tell you," she said quickly as a sad look came over the doe's face. "Please Sarah. I don't want this to make things difficult between you and Tri-" Sarah held up a paw, signaling her sister to stop.

"I'll handle this, sis. Oh, Rooose Petal!" She turned out of frame and called for her girlfriend in a sign-song voice. Soon a thudding could be heard as the brown doe bounced into view.

"Hey, Sundae. Oh hey, cutie!" she called, seeing Judy on the screen. "Happy Birthday, sweetie."

"Judy was just telling me something interesting. About this morning." Judy was surprised to see Sarah wasn't crying or even looking sad the way she normally would have. If anything she looked annoyed. _Trisha sure has changed my baby sister._ "She says you kissed her. Is this true?"

"Yep!" Judy's jaw fell at how quickly, confidently, and _happily_ if her smile was anything to go by, she answered the question.

"I see. Well, I guess I have no choice." Judy winced, expecting to see a fight or Sarah storm out or something of the like. She did not expect to see her take a bill from her pocket and hand it to the brown doe. "Can't believe you actually had the guts to go through with it."

"Thaaaank you!" Trisha held it up to the light to verify the authenticity simply to rub it in Sarah's face. Nick started chuckling behind her, the 'hustle' he spoke of finally coming to light.

"You two bet Trisha would _kiss_ me?" The gray rabbit was very upset. She was not a pawn to be used, especially not for a wager.

"Well actually she bet she could and I told her there was no way she'd pull it off. I didn't really expect her to try, Judy. Sorry." Sarah's regret was genuine and Judy felt for her. But Trisha. She was fair game in this.

"Hey Sarah?" The white doe's bright pink eyes met her deep lavender ones. "Pinecone." Suddenly, Sarah's morose look changed to one of glee.

"Pinecone?" Trisha's voice was curious but also very nervous. Sarah reached out of frame and came back with a large pinecone in her paw.

"PINECONE!"

The video feed ended and left Judy laughing hard, the joy spreading to her very confused mate as he began chuckling too. "Pinecone?"

Judy simply grinned evilly, her gaze still on the darkened screen. "Pinecone."


	31. Chapter 35 - Some past, some present, some future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, something many of you had trouble with: The pinecones. Pinecones are a reference to Bluelighthouse's fanfic 'Zootopia: Firewatch.' In it there is a part where Park Ranger Trisha attacks her supervisor with...a tank. No, with PINECONES! So I thought it would be a fun little cross reference for fans of both stories. That's all. *cue groaning*
> 
> Disclaimer: Well, I'm not really sure where I am. Took a wrong turn trying to get to the Disney vault to steal the rights to Zootopia. Some sort of weird underwater but not water type pl-...Is that a giant crab singing? What is a cartoon version of The Rock doing here? Alright this place is too weird. Where was that executive elevator...this guard's hand better be useful for something...
> 
> "SHINY!"

**_4 months later..._ **

'Life is what happens when you're making other plans.' A quote that speaks volumes of what reality truly is, and something that hits closer to home than anyone who has not heard the saying will ever realize. Overlooking the passage of time in favor of focusing on 'the big picture' of one's life, time will always manage to slip by unnoticed. Such is the fate of all mammals, even the ZPD's best and brightest.

Nick looked in dismay at the overflowing amounts of case files piled in his inbox. It was a testament to how well he and his partner worked together that the stack had grown to such ridiculous proportions. They had easily twice as many reports to file as any other team in the building which came with a certain sense of pride, as well as a certain sense of disappointment, both in himself and his mate. Mostly himself as he had usually let his mate talk him into these things.

"Here you go, sweetie. Fresh and hot." Steam flew in wisps above the black liquid set in front of him. It was late in the afternoon but the time for caffeine in their lives was a matter of necessity rather than a matter of timing. He thankfully took a sip of the delectable drink, ignoring the scalding temperature that threatened to dissolve his mouth. Judging by the flavor and how long ago his bunny had left, he knew it was from the break room. While not the best tasting, it did the job it was meant to do and fired up his mind.

Grabbing a new stack of files, Nick happened to look up at the gray rabbit across from him. Decked out in a blue neoprene body suit with kevlar vest and brass shield, the doe was a shining example of what the best officers should aspire to be like, though she would adamantly protest she was not a role model, for kits or officers alike. He watched as she grabbed her own files from a much smaller stack than his due to her actually taking the time to do the necessary paperwork, something he still had not gotten in the habit of doing, simply because he just didn't want to.

"Thanks Carrots. So, are we doing anything tonight?" _If I ever get through these reports._ Thankfully, he kept his thoughts to himself knowing that if he voiced them that any chance he might have at persuading her to let him finish tomorrow would go straight out the window. It had been nearly a week since they had gone out to do anything fun. He loved spending time with his doe on the couch all cuddled up together watching new shows on DVR or reruns of oldies but goodies on late night TV, but he was itching to get out of the apartment and spend some time out on the town, even if it was something as mundane as a veggie burger and fries in the mall food court.

"I don't know. I was thinking that maybe we could..." The rest of her sentence came out as a lot mumble, something he doubted even she would have difficulty figuring out if he had been the one to say it. Her battle of staring at the floor until Nick gave up came to an end when a balled up piece of paper landed smack dab between her ears. The glare she sent him _might_ have used to scare him, but too much time spent together had made him mostly immune to her looks, though her punches remained quite effective. "Tammy and Lylah caught me in the break room and asked if we would want to go bowling with them tonight. I told them I would ask you."

"Bowling, huh? I'll have you know, Carrots, that I used to be quite the bowler in my day." He rubbed his claws against his shirt, shining them before admiring them in the light. "Yep, there wasn't a bowling alley around that didn't know of Nick Wilde and his _curve of victory_." Using two paws, he formed one into a 'C' and one into a 'V' and overlaid them to form a 'CV' logo.

"Alright, Slick Nick. So I'll tell them to meet us after work. There's that bowling alley next to the apartment so you won't have to hobble home too far when I beat your behind." Nick snapped his jaws at her with a grin making the bunny giggle excitedly. "Now, finish up those reports so we can shower and change." Turning his head to see the towering pile still in sight, the fox let out a loud groan and flipped through the next file.

How he had managed to get all of the reports done he would never know. All he did know was that his digits were numb, his eyes were watering, and he had an overwhelming hatred of paper. They had taken a little bit longer to leave then they had planned as Judy wanted to go over his work, though in the end she found it satisfactory, giving him a quick peck on the nose as a reward for putting up with her. They hadn't taken too long to shower, knowing that the girls were most likely already out of the precinct and on their way there. They took the back way out to make sure they didn't run into Clawhauser, wanting to not be later than they already were. Luck was on their side once they had cleared the parking garage as there was very little traffic, which was surprising on a Friday night but not something they dared to question.

"So what time are we heading out in the morning?" Nick wasn't very good with schedules having to do with anything earlier than noon as he tended to sleep through it if he could manage it. Though the past year with Judy had pretty much robbed him of that opportunity as his little bunny rarely was in bed past eight AM on a weekend.

"Well, the ceremony is at ten and then the party is at eleven thirty at the hotel patio my parents reserved. Then they have the reception but that's not something we're involved in so we'll probably just get dinner. After that we either go home or maybe go out for drinks, it's up to them." Nick did some quick calculations in his head. _Ceremony is at 10 meaning we have to be there at 9:45 to get our seats. It's 20 minutes to get there so we'd need to leave at 9:15 to allow for traffic and parking. 10 minutes to get dressed,_ looking over at Judy, he shook his head. _15 minutes to get dressed, 20 minute shower, If I get lucky that is. So adding all that up..._

"I can sleep in until 8:05!" It wasn't until he saw the rabbit next to him giving him the weirdest look that he realized he must not have kept that part internal. "Sorry, Carrots. Just um...running through my head how lazy I can be in the morning." The sheepish smile plastered on his muzzle caused the gray doe to giggle behind her paw.

"Don't worry, Mister Fox," once again Nick shuddered uncontrollably at the nickname she had been more and more frequently calling him, thankful that Judy had not been looking at him. "I'll make sure you're up bright and early. We're gonna be there on time. Tomorrow is a huge day and we are not going to be the cause of it going badly." She turned and gave him a stern look. "Are we?"

Nick sighed heavily, knowing that nothing could say or do would grant him the extra slumber he was wishing for. "No, Carrots. We won't be. I know how important it is too. However, I demand a sleep-in of no earlier than ten-thirty the following morning. It is also mandatory that Mrs. Wilde join me for that time and will participate in any activities required of her after said wake-up time."

Judy pondered that for a moment. "So basically you want to sleep until noon if possible and then fuck like rabbits the rest of the day." The fox sat without expression, his face stoic and unyielding. Which lasted for about ten seconds under her gaze before he cracked, a deep grin forming quickly on his muzzle. "Well why didn't you just say so? But does it have to all be in the bed? I really loved that thing you did on the kitchen table."

Now his grin became almost lecherous causing the bunny to blush heavily. "God I am so glad I was born with a desire for bunnies." A sudden feeling of claws along her leg made her clamp her thighs together tightly to prevent him, and for that matter _herself_ , from going a little too far on what should be a simple car ride to meet up with some friends.

"Nuh-uh. That's not what is going to happen tonight." Disappointment washed over her as she considered those words she had just spoke. "Okay, maybe there'll be time for that," smirking at the grin that crossed over his muzzle, his sharp teeth visibly flashing, "but right now we're going out with our friends and you _will_ have a good time."

"Madam. Are you insinuating I, Nicholas P. Wilde, do not know how to have a good time? I'll have you know I was the star of the Christmas Tree Pageant sophomore year."

"Really?" Judy was intrigued. This was a story she had not heard before. "What did you do? Dance moves? Sing? No wait, you're horrible at singing. Guitar then? Play with the band?" Glancing over he smiled warmly at her which immediately put her on edge. He only used that smile when he was about to reveal a memory that had at one time been painful.

"No, Carrots. I was literally the star. Football team ambushed me outside the gym and strung me up. Hauled me above the tree during the performance. Got quite a good laugh out of the audience." His smile faltered a bit as he recalled the one good thing about that night. "Mom had to work double shift so she unfortunately missed my part in the pageant. Turned it around in the end though. Got to make a few jokes myself about 'outshining' everyone else. Seemed to work. Most forgot about it within a couple weeks."

Judy laid her arm over his, her touch gentle and soft. "But you didn't. Did you, Slick." A few seconds of silence passed before a large russet paw covered her own. He spoke, his voice somewhat soft.

"Never forgot any of it, Fluff. I remember everything that was ever done to me." He tightened his grip on her paw, taking comfort in her strength. "And that's why what you did is the most important to me. Rescuing me from that horrid excuse for a life was more than enough to outweigh all of the crap I went through when I was younger." Pulling into the bowling lanes parking lot, he quickly found a spot and pulled in. "Now, enough of this mushy stuff. My foot has a date with your butt, bun bun!"

Judy laughed, hopping out of the car to follow him into the building. She lagged behind slightly so that he could not see her wiping her eyes. It never failed that when he brought up something painful from his past it would cause her to break down, letting the tears flow from what had been done to her mate. It was the stories of him as a child that affected her the most. No child should ever have to suffer that sort of punishment from the world and it hurt to even think about what he _wasn't_ sharing with her. For now though, she would let him keep his walls around their friends and resolved to make him feel overly loved when they reached home.

Jogging to catch up to Nick, who had already gone through the double doors, Judy was overwhelmed as soon as she stepped inside. Deafened and disoriented by the chaos surrounding her, the loud cheers from the assembled mammals hurting her ears and the flashing lights of the games along the wall nearly blinding her, Judy stumbled along trying to find her fox. Thankfully, the further she made it into the building the more she became accustomed to the sensations until they were manageable, though still made her wince occasionally. More clear headed, Judy began looking around trying to find her mate. There were surprisingly quite a few foxes who were there bowling. It looked like two teams, each side wearing matching jerseys. She figured it must be an all fox league. Her passing did not go unnoticed by the vulpines. Several of them raised their noses, sniffing the air, a couple even turning their gazes towards the crowd, searching for the source of the mark they were picking up. Instead of seeing any vixens nearby though, all they were greeted by was a gray bunny who positively reeked of fox musk. Noticing their stares, Judy smiled back confidently, knowing what they were suddenly interested in and raised her paw in a friendly wave, the lights reflecting off the ring Nick had placed on her paw. The two who had first caught on that she was the one they were smelling opened their eyes wide. Several nudges and head jerks later had the entire assembled group staring in wonder.

"Hey Carrots. I got us a lane and the girls right next to us." Nick, who had sidled up next to her, suddenly noticed the attention his mate was getting from the tods. His tail instinctively wrapped around his mate protectively, making some of the foxes gathered nearby to raise their brows in alarm. One broke off and hurried over, which he quickly realized was the wrong move as Nick's hackles started to rise and a low growl emanated from his throat. He slowed and approached, trying to appear non-threatening.

"Sorry, guy. Didn't mean to startle you. Was just coming to say hello. Not too often we see mate rings anymore and one on a rabbit of all mammals? Well, it just kinda peaked our interest." He held out his paw, trying to come across as friendly as possible. "Name's Eddie. That's John over there with the stripe on his nose. Don has the clipped ear. That's George and his twin brother Fred. Or Fred and George. Ah screw it, even their mother can't tell em apart. Robbie over there with his thumb stuck in the ball. Then you got my cousin Ted, and his friend Adam." Each vulpine raised a paw as their name was called giving the two mammals broad smiles.

Nick took a few seconds to gauge the other foxes in front of them but ultimately could not get a read on any of them that told him they meant them any harm or malice. He took the fox's offered paw. "Nick Wilde." The reaction to his name was one that happened fairly often though it had faded in lesser days as the case's less important details took their place in the 'soon to be forgotten' category. However to the foxes it was almost immediate.

"Wilde? Nick Wilde?" The tod's voice had climbed a little higher, catching the attention of his fellow players who all looked over with great interest. "I can't believe I'm getting to meet you. You've been such a great inspiration to all of us. The fox who rose above what he had been made into to become what we all thought was impossible for mammals like us. I just want to say thank you for everything." Turning to the gray rabbit, he gave her a quick wink. "Don't go easy on him, Mrs. Wilde. He may be a cop now, but I know quite a few mammals who knew the other Nick Wilde and would say he needs to be knocked down a peg or two." The rest of the foxes laughed at that, several of them nodding enthusiastically. Apparently Nick's reputation wasn't one to be forgotten anytime soon, regardless if he wore a shield or not. Judy gave them all another wave while Nick flashed a confident smirk their way before moving on.

"Well that certainly was unexpected." Nick's amused glance over at his bunny told her to expect a request for clarification and she was not disappointed.

"In what way, Carrots? Foxes bowling? Foxes not casing a joint? Foxes actually having fun and being cordial?" He leaned down giving her a sly smile, confident he had her in his sights. "I thought we were past the judgmental stuff."

"Oh no, it's not that." Judy shook her head, her face perfectly serious though underneath she was fighting the overwhelming urge to laugh in his face. "I just never expected to be in a place where eight other mammals there at the same time liked you." Leaving her mate standing behind, his expression one of shock and confusion instead of his previous smirking attitude, Judy slapped a paw over her mouth trying to contain her giggling. Nick didn't take too long to recover as Judy squealed happily when he swept her up into his arms. Their antics attracted a bit of attention but they were quite used to ignoring those mammals who would ogle them when out in public.

"Foxy! Flopsy! Over here!" The two peered up over the crowd to see a tigress waving above the crowd. Making their way through the crowd was a bit difficult for the two small officers but eventually they emerged three lanes down from where they were aiming for.

"Hey, Judy! Which of you is doing the navigating thing? Cause whoever it is sucks." The rabbit was not surprised to the cheerful grin of their friend Tammy beaming at them from their lane. Sidestepping a few bowlers and dodging one particularly dangerous windup from a grizzly who jumped up and down angrily at the gutter ball it produced, the duo finally managed to make it to their reserved lane next to the pair of felines waiting for them.

"About time, Foxy. We've been waiting here for an indeterminate amount of time cause I wasn't really paying attention." Her smile only grew as Tammy dragged a claw along her ear.

"Of course you weren't. You were too busy trying to give me a tonsil exam with your tongue." Tammy along with the two new additions to their group laughed heartily, made even better by the deep blush they could see along the white fur of the tigress. "Now. I was thinking maybe we could make this interesting rather than just couples bowling." A flicker of a black tipped ear told them all that Tammy had the tod's attention.

"And when you say 'interesting' you mean...?" While normal bets along those lines included cash, all four mammals liked to play for higher stakes, finding the exchange of money a poor substitute for the thrill of the unknown.

"Normal stakes. One favor of for the winning team, meaning one favor from each member of the losing team. But this time, let's switch it up. Me and Judy, vs the two cadets." Judy grinned widely at the idea of her and the cheetah slamming the force rookies in a battle she knew she could win easily. She didn't know how good Lylah was but she knew Tammy was fairly good and she was no slouch on the lanes herself.

"Hey! I take offense to that." Nick turned his nose up in the air looking all indignant. "We are not cadets. We're newbies. Get it right, dang it." They all shared a laugh at that, the fox earning a high-five from his temporary partner for the night. "Alright Whiskers, let's show them what the rooks can do, eh?" If Judy had been afraid of predators, the sharp-toothed grin on Lylah's face would have probably had her shaking uncontrollably. Instead, it ended up being her own savage smile that set the tigress back slightly though she quickly recovered.

"Let's do this, Tammy." Leaping up, Judy landed a fist bump with her cheetah partner and quickly ran to the computer to input both team names. Nick looked up to see their names flash across the screen. He couldn't help but smile at seeing 'DmbFox' and 'SlyBun' being added to their side's tv screen. Leaving the keyboard to Lylah, the doe hopped down and moved over to her foxy lover. "Come here, Slick." Yanking him down to her level, she planted a hard kiss to her lips. "If you win, don't waste your favor on sex. That's already happening."

White teeth flashed in a pleased grin. "Good to know, Carrots. But I already have something in mind and trust me, that favor will be mine." Walking up to the ball rack, Nick took a little bit of time sizing up the weight and digit holes, trying to find the right one for him. "You don't know what you've gotten yourself into." A gray paw reached past his and selected a moderate eleven pound ball.

"Au contraire, my mistaken fox. It is you who are out of your element." Hastily walking towards the lane and speeding up just at the last second, Judy swung her arm forward, letting the ball loose along the smooth floor. Watching confidently as the ball reached the edge and curved back just in time before hitting the gutter, she smiled with glee as the ball struck the front pin, causing the rest of them to fall with an almighty crash. This earned a raised brow from Lylah who had not seen her play and a happy grin from Tammy who had bowled with the bunny on several occasions. Tuning back, Judy walked back to her fox who stood there with a small smile of his own. "You're in trouble now, Slick. Second place last three years at the Hopps family tournament."

"Impressive. You're right. I might be in trouble." Settling on a thirteen pounder, Nick mimicked the rabbit's moves in approaching the lane, releasing his ball smoothly before turning and walking back to his seat without even bothering to watch where his ball went. Judy smirked as she watched his ball head straight into the gutter, though her elation suddenly turned to confusion as it ran along the very edge for several feet before curving hard back. Landing squarely on the front pin, the whole group nearly exploded with the force generated. Nick hadn't even watched it, content to look at his mate's face and the swift changes of her emotions.

"...How-?" Judy couldn't formulate any words, too stunned to think straight. Nick simply raised an arm and pointed over at the wall behind her. She turned her head and saw a board. A board of names of those who had bowled perfect games. On which Nick's sat four times. Letting out a loud groan, she buried her face in her paws, knowing what was coming next.

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

Meanwhile, Tammy and Lylah were having their own mini battle. Having watched Nick effortless match Judy's strike, Tammy found herself under a little bit of pressure but managed a respectable spare pickup from a near disastrous split. Happy with her performance, the feline gave her girlfriend an overconfident grin. Lylah for her part didn't even bat an eye. Stepping up, she mirrored her teammate's moves and had the ball running along the right side for it to turn at just the right moment and bring all ten pins down with a bang. Now it was Tammy's turn to bury her head in her paws. "Nick's been giving me pointers," Lylah shrugged nonchalantly.

The game continued on, Judy and Tammy finding themselves steadily trailing further and further behind. In the end though, while Tammy did manage to beat Lylah by a small margin, Nick's overall domination was the deciding factor, earning him and Lylah a favor from the two ladies they were with. "That was a lot of fun! Want to play another game? No stakes this time though." It was odd for Nick not to push for higher stakes when he knew he was going to win but he felt his mate had been hustled enough for the night. The three females were on board though.

Nick and Lylah went to get a few drinks while Tammy and Judy stayed back setting up the next game. "So how have things been going, Whiskers? Still visiting the therapist?" Normally that would be considered a very personal question, however Nick had been helping his friend get past the incident from several months back that had nearly robbed the poor feline of her career. If it hadn't have been for Tammy, Nick, and Judy, Lylah may well have quit the force. With some joint therapy sessions and concerned friends, she managed to shake off her imagined guilt at being unable to keep the mammal alive.

"No. We ended sessions a few weeks back. The dreams haven't happened in months and I've stopped blaming myself for the whole thing, so he felt it was time for me to 'get back out there and protect those citizens of Zootopia.' Honestly I think I was done a couple months ago but I kept going just in case. Plus with you all helping me, it didn't end up being as awful as I imagined the whole thing would be."

"And how are things with Tammy? All purrs and cat naps?" Expecting to get hit in the head, Nick readied to duck. All he got was a roll of the eyes and a smirk that rivaled his own.

"Pretty great, actually. Tammy and I, well, don't tell her cause I want it to be a surprise, I booked us a trip to the Caribbean." A little shocked, Nick gave his friend an appraising gaze noting her face split into a happy grin.

"Well that sounds like a lot of fun." Picking up his drink and giving it a sip, he waggled his brows playfully at her. "This wouldn't be a setup to ask her a certain question, would it?"

With eyes wide, Lylah started stammering trying to downplay the whole thing. "I would never! I mean not _never_ but not yet. I mean, not right now if I do anything at all. Possi-." Her eyes suddenly narrowing, she gave him a hard stare. "What is it that you know, you little red-furred giant rat and how much is it going to cost me to shut you up?"

"So Lylah is taking you on a vacation?"

"Yep!" The cheetah's eyes were lit with glee at the idea of them both being on the beach in tiny bikinis that let her see _all_ of the tigress's assets. "Don't mention it though. She thinks it's a secret trip she's planning."

"So how do you know about it?"

"Well," licking her lips mischievously, Tammy looked over at the bar, laying her eyes on the tigress standing next to Judy's red fox. "My Pretty Kitty sucks at keeping secrets." They both laughed heartily as the other two mammals came back over, several drinks in paw. "Alright everyone. Round two. No stakes except... _revenge!"_

Nick was impressed with how well Judy played. He had not expected her to be that good and at the start of the next round she had landed another strike making him determined to step up his game. Moving forward, he swing back his arm and made ready to let go. " _Hey hey, Mister Fox."_ Nick suddenly stumbled, the ball crashing to the floor. Somehow he managed to maintain his balance though he swung around wildly at the sound coming over the loudspeaker. Judy hadn't noticed his misstep as she suddenly looked around towards the jukebox in the back.

"Oh I haven't heard this song in ages." Turning to Tammy, she failed to notice Lylah giving her fox a very strange look. "Me and my sisters used to listen to it all the time as teenagers." Nick stiffened again as a verse played again.

_"Hey hey, Mister Fox, What are you doing in the garden, again?"_

"It's a bit risque, especially the music video, but it's just so catchy." Once again Lylah was the only one to see Nick panicked. He quickly left the lane and headed for the back of the room. "Nick?" Judy had caught the rush of russet fur blowing by her. "Nick? What's wrong?"

_"Hey hey, Mister Fox, would you take me home to your den?"_

Moving deftly through the crowd, Nick finally got to the back and saw the offending jukebox playing the song he hoped he'd never have to hear again in his life. Nearby, half a dozen does danced, their moves telling him they were inebriated, trying to mimic the famous bunnies from the music video. Nick knew he couldn't just run up and rip the cord out to silence the device, but he was nothing if not clever.

_"Hey hey, Mister Fox, can you be my lover boy?"_

Quickly Nick headed for it, pretending to bump into several mammals as if to seem like a klutz. On the last one, he slammed into the coyote a little harder than the rest, making him 'trip' backwards over the power cord.

_"Hey hey, Mister Fox, will you be my foxy t-"_

Silence suddenly filled the area although only from the music. Conversation continued regardless of whether or not a once catchy song about rabbits was playing. No one ever came to the lanes for the jukebox. It did however catch the attention of the group of bunnies nearby.

"Hey! We were listening to that!"

"Stupid fox! Turn that back on right now."

"Yeah, we-..." The third one, who had pushed forward and gotten right in his face, suddenly paused. Leaning to the side, trying to view him in profile, let out a sharp gasp. "Oh my god, it's you." She turned excitedly to the rest of the group. "It's him! It's actually him!" Quicker than Nick could react, the group surrounded him on all sides, each taking in part of the fox's image.

"You're Mister Fox!"

"Oh my god, I can't believe I'm actually getting to meet Mister Fox."

Nick was trying to find a way to get away from the horde of bunnies now closing in, bringing the circle in tighter leaving no routes of escape unless he knocked one of them over, something he really did not want to do. Just as he decided that he was going to need to relent and haul one of them out of his way, things took a very bad turn.

Judy had been very concerned with how fast he had run off. It wasn't like him to panic but his face and eyes were all too readable. Something had him spooked. She decided to follow him but was having difficulty getting through the crowd that had formed between them after his passing. With the sudden quiet from the music being cut, Judy could hear several voices yelling at someone. She figured it was most likely her mate as she could her angry voices and the word 'fox' being shouted repeatedly. She finally cleared the last set of legs in her way only to stop, just shy of entering the open area in front of her.

Seeing her fox surrounded by numerous drunk bunny does, all of whom were not wearing enough clothes to cover two of them combined, had her blood boiling. She tried to use the breathing techniques she had learned but with so many rabbits it could not be helped. Letting a snarl rip from her throat, Judy bounded next to the group. In a last ditch effort to avoid a violent reaction, she tried telling them off. "Get away from my fox."

Several heads turned before one of the does broke off and strutted up next to her. " _Your_ fox? Listen here, Plain Jane. No fox, let alone _that_ fox, would give your drab gray self the time of day." Running her paw over her perfect honey-brown fur, the arrogant doe flipped her ears at Judy, an act that was a disdainful insult to another female competing over males.

The police officer suddenly found herself not caring about self-restraint. A growl formed in the back of her throat, suddenly becoming very loud as she bared her teeth. The caused the other doe to widen her eyes and back away slowly, fearful of this new turn of events. The other five, seeing one of their group moving away, followed her shocked gaze, seeing what looked like a rabid bunny standing there. Teeth gnashed while snarls came from the savage creature, her wild eyes making them all start shivering in fear. Nick saw the change in his mate and knew if he didn't act quickly there would be many problems, the least of which either her mate or one of their friends having to arrest her.

Snatching up the bunny, the fox hastily ran them towards the exit, trusting that Tammy and Lylah would take care of things. He knew he needed to get Judy out of there fast. He almost leapt down the short staircase outside the front door before sprinting for their car. Claws were still latched into his front, pressed with enough force to pierce his shirt, though that was the farthest thing from his mind for the time being. Ripping open the door, he carried her into the backseat and held her close to his chest, hoping it would calm her down.

"So many. Too many. They were trying to take you from me."

"Don't worry, Fluff. I'm not going anywhere."

"No! No you are not! They won't take you from me. Never." Darting her head forward, she rubbed her chin along his neck and jaw line. "Mine." Putting her paws at the top of his shirt, she pulled and ripped it free, the button vanishing into the darkness of the car. "Mine!" She rubbed her chin all over his chest before grabbing the next of buttons. " _Mine!"_ Moving down his body, she yanked apart each part of his shirt, screaming all the while that he was hers and marked his fur accordingly. Out of buttons, she put two paws on the top of his pants before looking into his eyes with a fire in hers. " _MINE!"_

A couple of hours later, after receiving a report from the bowling lanes earlier in the evening only to be informed by officer Thompson that it was all clear, the precinct got another call from that location reporting 'public indecency.' A cruiser had already been in the area and they went to check it out. Arriving in time to see the parking lot mostly empty, the lanes and the arcade having closed almost an hour previous. Getting out, a rhino approached a cherry red muscle car sitting alone.

"Hey Dwayne. Doesn't that car look familiar?" The rhino looked back at the lion, grumpily watching the big cat lean casually against the hood of the car.

"Delgato, I don't pay enough attention to cars to care what that one is or isn't." Andrew threw up his paws, determined to let the big prey mammal deal with this himself. McHorn moved up to the window and shined a light inside, spotting the vague outline of someone in the back seat. "Alright buddy. We got a report about an indecent exposure around here. Would that be you?"

The shape shifted slightly causing a feminine voice to let out a groan. "Dwayne. Bud. What's up?" The rhino paused, recognizing the male voice coming from the vehicle.

"Wilde?"

"Yeah, sorry about being here after hours. We have a good reason though."

"We're a bit _tied_ up, Dwayne." Hearing the voices of the two mammals he sat next to each morning, along with what those voices said, had him reeling back.

"Uh. Look, I'm gonna go. Just, get home ASAP, alright?" He staggered back to his cruiser where a surprisingly smug lion waited. "Don't," he warned, holding up his arm to stave off any comment he might make. "Just. Don't."

Back in the car, the fox and rabbit looked at each other. Thrusting his hips up a little, Nick smirked at the groan she made before snuggling back into his chest. "I feel bad for McHorn. It feels like he catches us in that position a lot."

"So. Want to tell me or do I have to be the one to bring it up? About what went on in there?" Having a very good inkling what she was talking about, Nick continued to feign ignorance, hoping that would end the conversation.

"Don't know what you mean, Carrots. I saw a drunken mob so I went to stop it before it got outta control." Knowing they were tied for quite a little while, Judy continued to bore a hole in his head with her stare, slowly eroding the flesh and bone with it's intensity. After a bit Judy sighed, knowing she would have to just pry it out of him.

"Hey hey, Mister Fox, will you be my foxy toy?" Nick stiffened again though this time Judy was well compensated for it as it drove him deeper into her, restarting their knotted time.

"You know?"

"I know."

The tod sighed heavily, coming to terms that he couldn't run from it any longer. "How long?"

"Oh about two months into your Academy training." Giving him a shy smile at the incredulous look he flashed her way, she snuggled against his chest. "Hey, long nights with no sexy fox next to me in bed leaves a lot of down time and plenty of Netflix and Youtube surfing. Ran into the music vid based on a suggestion from my sister's account. Don't think I didn't notice _exactly_ who was dancing around on that stage. You could shave off all of your fur and put in black contacts, I'd still find you." Raising her eyes to meet his, her voice got very serious, very quickly. "Don't you dare do that, Nicholas Wilde. That fluffy tail is half mine according to some law out there I'm guessing and I want to keep my blanket."

* * *

Graduation. The completion of one thing and the beginning of something new. A recognition of hard work, dedication, and perseverance that leads one onto their next journey in life. For Sarah Hopps, hers was a celebration of the new life she had chosen. That she could be more than what others said she was ever since she was born. It had been a difficult path, but it was one she had wanted since she was eight years old and now she could do what she had promised herself and her sister all those years ago. To make the world a better place. Together.

She knew she should be focusing on her future. Getting her diploma was simply one step forward into a new chapter in her life. She would be starting shortly at the most prestigious hospital in Zootopia, a job she had been dreaming of for years. It all was coming together so this day should have been one of the happiest in her life. And it would be if not for one tiny detail.

"These robes! Urgh! They're too hot!" The polar bear, one of her fellow graduating classmates, was yanking at her traditional graduation gown trying to tear the fabric off of her. "Whoever decided to have us stand outside in summer weather wearing these ridiculously heavy robes should be strapped naked to a lamp post in Tundratown for a week."

"I'm pretty sure they'd die if you did that, Beth. But I am in complete agreement." It was rare for Harvey, a camel from Sahara Square to agree with anyone so it peaked a few ears. "I grew up in the desert, the _desert_ , and I think these gowns are just wrong. Look at this! They're three times thicker than normal and made of one hundred percent wool. Wool! Either they cut cost, preferring a few hundred bucks over our comfort and health or there is someone out there trying to kill us."

While they had been listening intently to the camel, the last part had them all groaning. Harvey was a well known conspiracy theorist, seeing death behind every door and poison inside every bottle, though not from his favorite brand on scotch it seemed with the way he drank on Friday nights.

"I think we all are in agreement that this thing just plain sucks." The leopard who had stood up was Angela, the youngest of the group. Her parents preferred to home school her which did not turn out to be a bad thing. Graduated high school level when she was fifteen, she immediately jumped into med school. Now, at nineteen years old, she was the youngest doctor to have graduated in over five decades. She also had the mouth and attitude of her years. "I mean, why couldn't let put us in the auditorium or something? It's got AC! We could be comfortable! But no. Grandpa and Granny Dean need the warm sun on their old ass bones or they'll kick the bucket. Friggin bites."

Shaking her head as the conversation continued, Sarah chose to take a walk down the hallway. It was more to keep cool by letting the air billow under the suffocating robes, but walking past classroom after classroom where she had learned the art of her trade had a way of getting her to reminisce. It had taken four very long years to get to this point. There had been successes and failures alike. She would never admit it, but at one point she did so poorly on a test that she considered giving up in fear of doing harm to a patient if she graduated. Angela, while not exactly the most compassionate mammal, had helped her get it together and put the thoughts aside. 'If you should be a doctor, then you _will_ be a doctor,' she had almost shouted in her face. It had gotten the job done, though. She aced the next test and almost every single test from that point on.

"Hey Sarah! They're getting ready to line us up." She turned and saw her classmates headed towards the side entrance to the building where they would march to the stand to get their diploma and hear the valedictorian's speech.

"Yeah, Bunny Butt! Move it!" A surprisingly small wolf was leaning against the door frame, making kissing noises towards the doe. It was something that irritated Sarah so he did it just about every time he saw her, but she never had to worry about retaliation.

"Shut it, Malcolm." The canine let out a loud 'oof' and a strained yelp as a large white paw slammed into his testicles. "You ain't her type. Four years of med school and you don't know the signs of a female getting creeped out by you? How the hell did you manage to graduate?"

"R-rugged good looks and i-impressive test scores," the wolf wheezed, winded from the impact from the polar bear. To his credit he somehow remained upright considering that paw was bigger than his entire pelvis, though he did seem to have shaky knees.

Grinning at her fellow graduates, Sarah bounded back down the hall with happy skips. While not everyone in the class had been accepting of her, several bunnies from the Tri-Burrow area would routinely ignore her, she had made quite a few friends, something that was still astonishing to her, having long ago given up the idea of friends ever being part of her life. She had spent many nights in the local bars, spending time with them outside of the school's strict atmosphere. She didn't drink, but she found it wasn't necessary to have a good time. Simply being accepted made her ecstatic. And it was this feeling, along with many other joyous times she had been able to experience in her four years at the school that carried her through the doors on angels wings, ready to take the next bold step into her journey.

"God it's hot out here. I don't know what those idiots were thinking about holding this outside. I'm sure they could have done this in an air conditioned auditorium or something. Hey!" Wincing slightly from the elbow he had just taken in the side, the red fox adjusted his glasses and tried to appear as casual as possible. "Cheap shot, Carrots."

"Oh hush, fox. I barely touched you. Besides, don't be bad mouthing the committee. I want everything to go wonderfully for Sarah today." Judy had been absentmindedly running her paw over her chest where her badge normally hung. It was an unconscious tic of hers, something that Nick often teased her about, how 'off duty' didn't seem to exist for the bunny cop.

"Don't worry, Carrots. I'm sure everything is gonna go perfectly. At least I hope so, cause I have a wager with your dad that if something goes wrong you're going to flip out and attack one of the teachers." Nick's smug grin met her shocked expression without a hint of deceit or exaggeration.

"You did _what?"_ Whipping her paw overhead, Judy leapt at the last second to smack him in the back of the head. Ignoring his yelp, she slung a few more punches into his arm. "How could you say that to my father? He comes all the way from the farm to be here for his daughter's big day and you tell him that you think I'm going to attack a teacher?" Holding up his paws in self defense, the tod tried to maintain his composure.

"Look Carrots, I know it's not the most outlandish of wagers I've ever made but I had to chose something mellow after he bet that you'd knock over the tables and burn down the stage." The twitch of her eye suddenly made the vulpine very nervous. Standing very still, Nick attempted to will himself into invisibility, knowing that if she lost her cool, Judy would take her wrath out on the nearest family member, which happened to be him at the moment. Attempting to throw the attention off himself, he pointed up at the stage. "Oh look, they're lining up!" Judy immediately turned her head and watched with pride as her younger sister made her appearance in her gown.

An unknown voice from behind had both of them jumping. "She looks so beautiful up there, doesn't she?"

"Trisha!" Embracing her friend in a tight hug, Judy pulled back excitedly. "I was so worried you wouldn't make it."

"Oh I wouldn't miss this for the world. Not my Sundae. Although some deer almost got the stuffing kicked out of him for giving me the wrong directions. Ended up halfway across campus before I found out where it was supposed to be." The brown bunny looked a bit irritated after being given the runaround from some very unhelpful mammals, but her visage softened as the sight of her lovely mixed doe caught her eye just as Sarah was looking for hers. Trisha's beaming smile had the doctor-soon-to-be nervously grinning, the white parts of her fur turning deep red in embarrassment.

"Think she feels pretty good about you getting here too, Petals." Nick nudged the bubbly rabbit, causing her to shuffle to the side in order to keep her footing.

"I told you," she said through gritted teeth, "don't call me Petals!" Stamping her large hindpaw down on his, she grinned evilly at the yelping sound he made. She looked over to share a gloating smile with Judy only to find her with her eyes closed and her ears pulled low over her face, taking in deep slow breaths. "Oh god." Trisha's face suddenly paled as she realized what she just did. "I forgot. Do you need me to leave, Judy? Take a step back?" She fell silent as the gray rabbit held up a paw.

After several deep breaths and what sounded like a meditative chant, Judy lifted her head and let her ears flop down behind her back offering Trisha a wan smile. "It's alright, Trisha. Hard to remember all the time I suppose." The last was said with a grain of bitterness in her voice, wishing that she could be allowed to forget, even for a day, how hard it was to constantly clamp down on her instincts. To resist the urge to attack anyone she deemed a potential threat to her or her mate, which, as a bunny, ended up being every predator larger than her. She had told no one of how deep it ran besides Nick. She didn't think anyone could really understand how it felt. She flashed her fox a gentle smile when she felt his tail wrap around her legs in comfort.

Desperate to keep her friend in a good mood, Trisha tried to change the subject. "So where are your parents? I imagine they'd be here somewhere."

"Oh yes!" The topic seemed to put Judy in a brighter mood. "They're up front. Only allowed seats for the parents or spouse with as many graduates as they have. Seems rather useless to point out that it's an outside ceremony. There's enough space for a thousand chairs."

"I told you, Carrots. They're idiots."

"Nick-"

"No, he's right. These guys are morons." A little shocked he was being agreed with, but nonetheless pleased, Nick turned his attention to the rabbit who had spent a month being the bane of his existence at one point. "It's like a billion degrees out here with zero breeze and they slapped wizard robes on them as if they were headed to Hogwarts." The comparison notwithstanding, Judy was starting to think the two had a point. Most of the graduates looked incredibly uncomfortable, especially the arctic fox and polar bear.

"How are you two doing, Trish?" Judy didn't normally pry into her sisters love lives but Sarah was a special case, always being so protective of her. Not to mention Trisha was a close friend and she was curious about she was doing too. "Haven't heard from either of you in a while."

"Oh, it's just been fantastic." Her eyes became, if possible, even brighter at the thought of the mixed doe finally getting her dream. "Sarah's been under a bit of pressure to get this done. You know, I thought the last bit of college before graduation was for kicking back and chilling out before getting your 'walking papers' as we called it. But no. Not these doctors. I swear I've had to tuck her in on the couch covered in books and essays more often than she's slept in the bed the past few weeks."

"Wait. 'As we called it'? You have a degree, Trisha?"

"Well jeez, Judy. Don't look so shocked. I'm more than just a smoking hot bod you know." Judy couldn't help but give her an appraising glance though she immediately started blushing.

"So what did you major in?" Nick joined the conversation, equally as curious as his mate was about finding Trisha was a college graduate.

"Astrophysics and Adventure Education." The casualness at announcing she held a degree in Astrophysics was almost more astounding than the fact that she _had_ a degree in Astrophysics.

"You majored in _what?!_ "

"Adventure education. You know like park rangers and stuff. Taking people through trails and down rapid rivers. It's actually quite fun really. I did a couple months a few summers back at this really neat forest. Couple of screwy mammals in the firewatch posts though. Pretty weird." Her head twisted enough, Judy decided just to drop the whole thing, though Nick had to ask one more question, just to finish off the whole weird ordeal.

"Dare I ask what your minor was?"

Turning a pair of bright eyes and a beaming smile towards the tod, she answered far too happily. "Bagpipes." _Of course you did,_ he said to himself. _What else would you possibly do?_

Seeing the mammals all rise from their seats and collectively moving to the side of the stage, the three in the back ceased their conversation in favor of watching the proceedings. With all of the much larger animals around, spotting Sarah was going to be impossible until she hit the stage. Luckily they did not need to wait long as 'H' was not too far into the alphabetical line. Judy stood with a proud look on her face. Her sister was finally going to join her in their dream of helping the world. Nick simply stood with a genuine smile, one of the few he has given that wasn't directed at his mate. Trisha though was overcome with emotion. Her fur was darkening rapidly beneath her eyes as tears poured freely, her paws clasped together indicating how happy she was right then.

Being handed her diploma, Sarah turned and looked out at the crowd, seeing her mother and father beaming at her, so happy that she had finally achieved her dream. Scanning past the crowd, she spotted the red fox and gray bunny she knew to expect beneath the trees lining the courtyard nearby and gave them both a big grin. It was when her eyes locked onto the bright blue ones standing next to them that she faltered. These were the eyes she was waiting for. That she had been dying to see all morning. While her distance vision was not the greatest as a bunny, Sarah clearly saw the lips on the brown bunny's face form words that made her heart flutter. ' _I love you.'_ Feeling near giddiness but trying to keep herself composed for the sake of the ceremony and her friends up on stage, she sent the doe a warm smile and mouthed the words back.

The rest of the ceremony sped by as her thoughts began revolving around something other than her diploma. Something with a bit of dark brown fur, bright blue eyes, and a very sexy tail. She couldn't wait to celebrate her accomplishment but the first thing she was going to do was tackle an unsuspecting doe to the ground. She barely registered Angela's valedictorian speech, only catching random words. She felt slightly guilty about that knowing how hard the teenager had worked on her speech. She did receive a standing ovation though so Sarah knew it must have been a great one. Of course she also was the first to throw her cap, well before it was time to do so, being the rebel she loved to be. It started off a chain reaction just as she had hoped and dozens of caps went flying, unofficially signaling the end of the ceremony. The Dean, who had been waiting to make his own speech, stood slack-jawed as the former students filed out.

Sarah wasted little time in pelting across the grass and leaping at the brown doe, bringing her down and onto her back. Pressing their lips together, Sarah kept her there for several seconds before finally releasing her. "I'm so proud of you." The words from her bunny's lips thrilled the white rabbit and she resumed kissing her where she left off. Nick and Judy were amused by the ordeal, though Judy gave her sister a slight nudge as she saw their parents, who Sarah had completely ignored trying to get to Trisha, approaching the group.

Catching sight of them, Sarah scrambled to her feet, pretending as if she wasn't just rolling around on the grass with her lips locked with her girlfriend. "Mom! Dad! I'm so glad you made it!" The adults weren't fooled but they also weren't going to miss an opportunity to see their little girl all grown up.

"Oh dear, I'm so happy for you." Her cheeks darkened from the tears she had shed, Bonnie wrapped her daughter up in her arms, squeezing tightly as if not believing she was real. "Not only do I have a daughter who is a police officer, but now I have one that is a doctor as well. And I know this was always what you two wanted. Oh, honey." Giving her another strong hug, she nuzzled her as only a mother could. "I'm so glad you found your path."

"That's right. Now Jude can shoot 'em and Sarah can patch em up!" No one laughed at Stu's horribly timed joke though Nick gave him a wink, preventing him from feeling like a _complete_ heel. "Sorry, that was bad." Sarah rolled her eyes, Judy following along, before embracing her father tightly.

"You're so corny, dad. But I'm really glad you came. It really means a lot." She didn't bother asking why no one else was there. Jessica was busy with the photoshoot and she didn't care to dwell on what her other siblings thought of her accomplishment.

"Of course we'd be here. You think we'd miss one of our kits graduations, especially for one as important as...as this...one?"Recognizing the signs, Nick pulled a hankie from his pocket he brought specifically for that situation. Snatching it up, Stu buried his face into the cloth, trying to catch the tears suddenly pouring out as he howled. Bonnie hauled her husband away to the side, letting him get it all out until he was calm enough to come back.

"I got an idea." Nick chimed in, his sudden voice causing a few slight of the rabbits to jump slightly. "Why don't we take the 'rents to the party in our car. Dad can calm down a bit as we take a ride over and you two does can head over in yours. Still The Reef garden patio, yes?" Smiling at the mature rabbit's nod, Nick became a bit more enthusiastic. "See? No problem. Quick ten minute drive and we'll all be gabbing again, this time with alcohol!"

* * *

Nick had to admit, the old buck did good picking the location. The 'patio' was actually a carefully constructed grotto filled with lily pads and water flowers, lights flickering off the water and the rocks, giving it a mystical sort of glow. He figured it would be all too easy to lose himself there for a day or five. It was rather beautiful and he made a mental note that on his and Judy's next anniversary he would get them a room there so they could experience it fully. All too soon his moment of reflection was up and he returned his attention to the party.

Though they had left at roughly the same time, the guest of honor and her chaperone showed up nearly fifteen minutes late. Sarah apologized profusely saying that they had attempted to take a shortcut but ended up stranded in a large construction job. Her parents bought the explanation, however Judy caught the sly grin on Trisha's face as well as the small tufts of disheveled fur on the two does, as well as Nick noticing the scent coming from them that spoke of a much more intimate rendezvous than a simple construction delay. They held off their comments however, merely giving the two a raised brow which were returned with guilty smiles.

"This is truly a wonderful day," Stu called out. "Family gathered together to celebrate Sarah's amazing achievement." Seeing Trisha's smile flicker, Stu paused in his speech and gestured for her to join him. A little apprehensive, the brown doe approached cautiously, unsure of what was going to happen. Bonnie came up and flanked her other side. "Trisha, you have been there for our little girl through quite a lot and we are so grateful for it. I noticed that you seemed a bit sad when I mentioned family." Trisha simply shrugged, trying to keep her face neutral. "Please. Don't be. We consider you as much family as we consider all of our children." With that, Stu wrapped his arms around her in a big hug, quickly joined by Bonnie and a now crying Sarah. Judy stood there for a moment but quickly hurried forward, adding herself to the group.

"Oh this is wonderful! Big group hug!" Nick cheered on the bunnies but didn't express any desire to join in. Though he was considered family, he wasn't big on giant groups and tended to avoid group hugs. That is until his mate reached over and grabbed his wrist, dragging him in with a surprising amount of strength. "Gyah!" His scream of protest lasted just long enough to have him pulled up against them. Giving his bunny an exaggerated eye roll, he closed his arms around them, nearly reaching every rabbit there.

While it was quite a tender moment, eventually Trisha's wild side decided to show itself as she reached out and grabbed what she thought was Sarah's butt. Instead, it was Judy who squeaked and jumped away from from the group, her ears turning very pink. Nick, seeing Trisha's smiling but guilty look, put two and two together. "Oh-ho! Petals! Go get your own bunny." Sarah had been watching the whole thing with a hint of a smile on her face before reaching over and giving her girlfriend a quick kiss.

Looking thoroughly confused, Stu stood there scratching his head. "I'm not really sure what just happened but I take it everything's okay?"

"Yes dear," Bonnie sighed, shaking her head at her husband's naivety. "Everything's great. Why don't we go get some more champagne?" Smacking his lips at the idea of a bit more drink, Stu went willingly, letting the previous matter slip from his mind. Relieved of the parentals, the two remaining couples discussed Sarah's plans for the future.

"So where are you going to be working? Heard you had a lot of offers. Must be kind of exciting having options everywhere you turn." Knowing that she had studied multiple specialties, Judy was curious if her sister had chosen a path to follow. There were many fields of medicine, but while Sarah had normally been a recluse at home, she had a feeling she was the type to want to get her paws dirty.

"Well, since I was third in my class I pretty much have my pick of wherever I want to go."

"Third, huh? Gotta say, Sundae, I'm thoroughly impressed." Nick truly was. Though he knew his mate's sister was capable of great things and had much to offer the world, placing third out of her class was a tremendous accomplishment.

"Yeah well, Angela is a teenage prodigy. Got almost perfect scores in everything. She's going back home though. She wants to do an independent practice. Treat mammals how she wants, not with an administrator breathing down her neck every day." Finding her glass empty, she turned trying to find a waiter to return the glass, but Trisha was the one who took it from her paw. She gave her a wink as the brown doe headed off to get each of them a new glass. "I nearly beat Robert, the gazelle that gave the other speech? He's bright but I messed up on one of the questions during finals which put him over the top. He's going overseas though so it leaves me open to pretty much anything I want."

Judy repeated her original question, her curiosity outweighing her patience by then. "And what is it that you want to do?"

"Emergency medicine at Savannah Central," she stated matter-of-factly. "I want to be right there when mammals come through needing someone to heal them. To save them. Everything from a gunshot wound to the chest to a little kit with a marble up their nose. I studied under a surgeon for the last two years so I'm qualified to do emergency surgery as well." Narrowing her eyes at them, she stared intently into theirs. "And you two better be careful because if you end up there I will be thoroughly cross with you."

"That's a, uh, rough job there, Sundae. The hours suck and you have to make some tough calls. I know you can handle it, but do you really _want_ to?" Nick did not doubt her ability. He knew the doe well enough that he would gladly put his life in her paws. It was the emotional toll he was concerned about. Sarah had been through so much emotional trauma in her life that he feared adding anymore on would be too much for the girl.

With an emphatic nod, the white doe laid any doubts her sister and brother-in-law might have about her dedication. "It's what I've wanted since my first year at school. And trust me, I researched _everything_." Thankfully for the doe, Trisha arrived in that moment with a new glass of champagne, cutting off the questioning gaze of the officers. "Thanks, Rose Petal."

"My pleasure, Cutie. Now, what was the topic ab-"

A large crash just inside the outer doors interrupted the late addition to their discussion. Screams could be heard with mammals running back and forth in panic. Nick and Judy sprang into action to see what was happening. What they saw however was not something either of them was trained for. Laying on the ground was a zebra, his legs flailing chaotically, driving everyone around him backwards. Nearby, a female zebra was crying hysterically.

"Ma'am. Do you know this mammal?" Cop training kicking in, Judy moved to question the frantic equine while Nick moved between the patrons and the zebra on the floor, cautioning them to keep their distance while they determined what was happening.

"That's my husband! You have to do something!"

Seeing an opening between the thrashing hooves, Sarah quickly stepped in close to the fallen mammal and began examining him. "Sarah, get back!" Judy all but screamed at her sister. Sarah ignored her, continuing to run her paws over his neck and prying open his jaw. Without looking away, she yelled across to the wife.

"Ma'am. Does your husband have any severe allergies?"

"Only b-bees," she stammered, unable to keep her composure. Running her paws over his flanks, Sarah finally felt a raised welt near his calf.

"He's been stung. Do you carry an epipen?" The horrified look on the female's face as she dug through her purse told her all she needed to know. "Nick! Knife!" Not hesitating for an instant, Nick flipped her his pen knife which was still a formidable size to her smaller paws. Flicking it open, she pressed the blade to the zebra's throat.

"Wait! What are you doing?! What is she doing?!" The mammal's wife looked back and forth between the two does, her eyes wild.

"Ma'am, your husband is in anaphylactic shock. His tongue and throat have swollen too large for him to breathe. If I don't cut a hole for air to pass through he's going to suffocate. Now please, calm yourself or I'll have Officer Wilde escort you from the room." Her surprisingly firm tone kept the zebra in check, quieting almost instantly though still sobbing. The mammals around them watched with baited breath as Sarah pushed the small, but thankfully sharp, knife through his thick skin and flesh. It took a bit more pressure than she would need from a scalpel but desperate times...

With a sudden break in the resistance, Sarah got through into his airway, relieved to feel the warm breath flow out through the hole and the ragged sounding rattle of air being brought back in. It was not a pretty sight, nor was it an overly clean job, but the zebra would live. "Nick, call an ambulance. Tell them we have a patient in shock who needed an emergency tracheotomy. Judy, you can bring his wife to him but she can't touch him right now." Turning to face the mammal who was in hysterics only moments ago, she locked eyes with her. "He's going to be okay, ma'am." She squeaked as she was nearly crushed by the female as she hugged the bunny.

"Thank you," she choked out through the many tears flowing from her. Nodding, Sarah retreated to let the equine crouch next to her husband while she headed to the restroom to wash the blood off her paws. It took a bit of extra scrubbing but she finally managed to get it off. She made a mental note to carry surgical gloves around with her at all times to prevent staining her fur in the future. Looking in the mirror, seeing confidence radiating from her eyes, she felt pride in herself.

"You did good, kid."

"You really did, sis." Glancing to the left in the mirror, Sarah met her sister's lavender gaze. "That was pretty incredible, Sarah. Not gonna lie, I was scared to death that he was going to die on the floor being helpless to do anything. But not you." Stepping right up next to her, Judy wrapped her sister in a very tight embrace. Pulling back just enough to look in her brilliantly pink irises. "You're gonna do great."


	32. Chapter 36 - Outside the comfort zone

"It just isn't right, Carrots." For what felt like the hundredth time since she rolled out of bed, Judy rolled her eyes back far enough to see white. Ever since they had gotten up her fox had been in a foul mood. Though not exactly a morning mammal, Nick tended to make the best of it, usually perking up by their shower together at the latest. However, things went very differently that morning.

The previous afternoon, something had happened to make the red fox become increasingly agitated throughout the rest of the day. The air conditioner in his car had gone on the fritz. Now, while he could keep them cool by rolling down the windows, the idea of his car being 'in trouble' as he had put it, had him going in circles. Finally he called an automotive shop, the one the ZPD uses for their cruisers if their mechanic can't fix the problem. It wasn't that he didn't trust other mechanics, it was just that he didn't trust _anyone_ near his car. He did all of the repair work himself, sometimes with Finnick's help.

"I'm worried about her, Carrots. She's never been looked after by anyone else before." Trying hard to keep a exasperated sigh from escaping her lips, Judy gripped the steering wheel of her car a little tighter. With the BOSS out of commission for the time being, the duo were headed to work in Judy's car, the 'blueberry' as it had been so dubbed by the oversensitive vulpine. _And he calls me 'emotional'._

"Nick, you gotta get past this. We're heading into work. I don't need my partner blubbering about his car being in the shop." The last thing any cop wanted was for their partner to be out of sorts. Not only could it compromise their ability to work on a case, but it could end up putting them both in a bad mood for the rest of the day, perhaps even a week. "We've already been over this. Do _you_ know how to repair an A/C unit?" Seeing him start to retort, she gave him a quick glare causing him to pause and shake his head. "That's right. You don't. Neither does Finnick, we already asked him. So let the nice mammals do their job so we can do ours."

Crossing his arms and staring out the window, Nick couldn't help but dwell on what his mate was telling him. He knew it was foolish to get worked up over his car being in for repairs. And if he hadn't worked on busting a large chop shop crime ring just the past week he probably wouldn't be as strung out. But he had. So he was. Just the thought of his precious being ripped apart and sold off piece by piece had him shivering. But, he had to tell himself, in the end it was just a car. _A wonderful, beautiful, perfect car that I could never ever find again._

Judy could see him wrestling with himself which she was proud of him for. She could also see him losing badly. Sighing and resigning herself to the idea that he may be mopey for the rest of the day, Judy flicked on the radio and cranked it to some current pop channel, something Nick despised. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Hey, I've got two choices in the morning on how to be happy. One, either you are happy _with_ me or I listen to Gazelle. So you choose. Either perk up or shut up." Nick could stare incredulously at his bunny sitting beside him. She flashed him a smirk and said in a tone he knew all too well. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart." Despite the rough morning, Nick found himself suddenly smiling. It was impossible not to at how cute she was whenever she turned his favorite phrase against him.

Sighing, he laid his paw on her ears and stroked them lightly. "Sorry, Carrots. I haven't been my usual chipper self this morning." At that Judy had to scoff. The tod was rarely ever 'chipper' before lunch time. "I'm just...concerned is all. I know it's ridiculous to feel that way. After all, if the ZPD can take their cruisers to this guy then my car should be safe. Right?"

The desperation in his voice was almost adorable and the bunny had to struggle to keep that to herself. "Tell you what, Slick. Forget about the car and get back to your normal self and I'll let you play with my tail at lunch time." The effect of that sentence was almost instantaneous. Sitting upright, his eyes bright and alert, the corners of his mouth curling in a genuine smile.

"Car? What car? Never had one. I don't even know what that is." Judy giggled as they came to a stoplight. Nick was no longer wrestling with himself about the car. Now it was the image of a cute, fluffy tail in his mind that wouldn't go away. "Hey, Fluff? Mind if I get a sneak peek at what lunch is gonna offer?" Shooting him a lustful smile, Judy raised herself slightly off the seat, bringing her tail into view. Before he could stop himself, Nick shot his paw out and lightly grabbed it. Her surprised cry quickly turned into a chirr of approval while he squeezed and dragged his digits through the soft fur. They both lost themselves a bit and didn't see the light had changed until a horn blew behind them. Slightly embarrassed, Judy quickly sat back down and drove off with Nick unable to stop smiling.

* * *

The bullpen was especially noisy that morning. Snarlov had challenged Grizzoli to an arm wrestling match and bets were being placed on all sides. Nick and Judy had arrived slightly late but were surprised to find out the match had already been going on for ten minutes with no real sign of victory being determined yet, though Snarlov was starting to show a bit of strain in his neck.

"Twenty on Griz!" Nick shouted to be heard over the crowd. Catching the sudden angry glare from his bunny, he rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. Put ten more on Griz for Carrots. Ow!" This time it was no angry glare but a fist into his hip.

"You are such a child, Nick." She stomped away to their shared seat, feigning irritation, though she really couldn't be mad at him. She _had_ told him to start acting more like himself and this is exactly how he would behave. Not that she really minded it in the first place. His kit-like enthusiasm was almost charming and one of the reasons she fell in love with him. How he could be so jaded at the world yet still find a way to enjoy the simple things in his life. A loud slamming sound and a great many roars and howls behind her told her the match was over. Sure enough, her chair was jostled slightly as a red fox clambered up next to her and put twenty dollars in her paw. "What's this for?"

"Griz won," he said simply, flicking his thumb over the small stack stack of tens and fives joyfully. "And we have enough for a decent lunch today."

Narrowing her eyes, she stared down at the crumpled bill in her paw. "You know I don't like you gambling, Nick. It's bad enough that you do it with John, even if it keeps us in our home." Shrugging, the tod took the bill from her.

"That's alright. I'll give all this back to Delgato and we can have those burritos from the guy on Fifth St. like last week." Hey eyes widening in horror at the memory of the awful lunch that ended with her leaned over a trash can a few blocks away, Judy snatched back the bill and stuff it into a pocket on her belt.

"Never again," she shuddered. Nick simply smirked where she couldn't see. She didn't have to know that he wouldn't go near that place again unless it was to arrest the vendor for poisoning his customers.

With the side door opening, many mammals had to scramble for their chairs, having been caught unaware of the exact time. Nick couldn't help but feel a little impressed as the Chief walked through the door at eight o'clock exactly. After all the months of being there, he had only ever seen the Chief delayed a few times and those were for important meetings. Every other day he entered the room the second the clock turned eight. Nick wished he had some sort of joke about being too punctual but he was never able to think of a good one. He was working on it though, a whole pad of paper covered in scribbles could attest to that.

"Quiet, everyone. Now I have a couple announcements to make so let's get them over with." Putting on his glasses, the buffalo looked down at his notes. "Officer Thompson is out sick today," Nick and Judy looked over to see Lylah looking a bit down in the dumps at her partner, in more than one way, being out, leaving her alone. "As such, Officer Forrest, you will be on parking duty for the day." Now the fox and bunny felt twice as sorry for the striped feline who looked up in horror.

"The second announcement," Bogo continued, ignoring the distraught look on the tigress's face, "Officers Wolford and Fangmeyer have completed their exams and have been promoted to detectives." This had most everyone in the bullpen freezing for a moment. Nothing had been said about there being open slots for new detectives, but they could not deny that Bogo had made two fine choices. The shock wearing off, all of the assembled officers turned to wish the pair their congratulations. The few who were in the know about the new detectives relationships couldn't help but give a secret smile to the others, knowing what partners who are intimate with each other could get themselves into. Nick and Judy proved that having been accidentally caught several times on the radio being less than professional.

"Now then. Assignments. Grizzoli. Pennington. Robbery at the Palms Casino. Delgato. Johnson. Accident in the tunnel between Downtown and Rainforest districts. Nine car pileup. Need traffic assistance." Looking less than pleased, the lion grabbed the file on the way out the door. It wasn't traffic duty that most officers had the problem with. With that amount of vehicles, there would at least one severe injury, maybe even a death which most of them hated to see. "Everyone else, standard patrols. Not you, Wildes," he said as the duo had started out the door. "Meet me in my office in ten minutes."

Nodding to show they understood, the bunny waited until the Chief had left the room before she slugged Nick in the arm. "Ow! What the hell, Carrots?"

"What did you do this time? Spray paint his desk with that gold sparkle stuff you did to Dave's work space at the apartment? Glue everything down on his desk? Put laxatives in his coffee again? This is serious, Nick!" she cried as her fox snickered at the memory from a few weeks ago. "We never get called into his office."

"I promise you, Carrots. Gluing the coffee mug to his desk was the last one I did and he still doesn't know it was me. This may be a good thing. He sometimes calls others in if he's got a really juicy case for them. Maybe it will be the same for us." Flashing him her 'don't be stupid' look, she couldn't help but think that what he said could be true. She knew there were times when he called officers in for special assignments and, while never having been given one herself, she knew she had the Chief's respect.

Heading out from the bullpen, the partners headed for the staircase on the other side of the lobby. Clawhauser saw them looking a bit anxious and wanted to tell them what he had overheard to help perk up their spirits, though he wasn't sure if that would help knowing what awaited them. They would be getting the full rundown from the Chief shortly. Reaching the third floor, the pair approached the closed door and knocked before walking in.

The first thing they noticed was that the other chair in the office, which was rarely ever occupied when they were in there, had another canine sitting in it. Chief Bogo gestured to their normal chair. "Sit down, Wildes." Clambering up, Nick then held out his paw to Judy, pulling her up next to him. Nick was getting a strange vibe from the other canine which he recognized as a coyote, one he did not know. "Wildes. This is Officer Southpaw." The name triggered a memory for the fox.

"Southpaw. See you changed your color and put in contacts." Turning to Bogo, he jerked his head sideways at the coyote. "Guessing undercover work and by our presence we're getting roped into it somehow."

Both the officer and the Chief were shocked, though the Chief was pleasantly surprised at how quickly Wilde had deduced what was going on. Judy however simply smiled and shook her head, knowing exactly how her mate had been able to read the situation. "How on earth..." Nick simply looked over at Southpaw and gave him his standard smirk.

"I know everyone." Turning to his bunny, he returned her smile with a genuine one of his own. "You see, Carrots. Southpaw here was born outside Zootopia up in the mountains. Normally his fur is black and gray, but since it's a sandy, whitish gray I'm betting they're putting his background as from Sahara Square?" he asked the Chief for confirmation. The stunned coyote was unable to say anything for a bit and simply sat there, wondering how much the fox knew about him and the operation going on. "I'm also guessing that with the bandages under your plain clothes and the still healing cut under your eye that things didn't go so well on your front, so let's skip the chit chat and have you make your case about why I should let my mate get involved in something dangerous enough that Precinct Three's best undercover officer got his ass kicked."

Having learned to never underestimate his fox officer, Bogo had to give him credit for reading the situation like he had. "Alright, straight to the point. There's a new fighting ring that has become established here in the city. It's unusual in that the fighters are all prey mammals while the managers and the mammals running the show are all predators. We sent Southpaw here to infiltrate the organization and see how it can be taken down."

"Which failed, obviously," Nick quipped.

"Look here, _fox,_ " the coyote sneered. "I made it for six weeks before somehow being found out. I don't expect some mangy lowlife like you-"

Bogo let loose a bellow. "SOUTHPAW! That's _enough!"_ The officer looked as if he was about to retort when a sound caused him to pause. A low growl from his right made his lips curl in amusement as he turned to face the fox who was stupidly challenging him. That look died as he found that the growl which was steadily turning into a full snarl, was not coming from the canine, but from the rabbit beside him who was glaring at the coyote with a gaze frightening enough to make him reel back. _What the hell?_

"Wilde." The Chief's voice went ignored as Judy began crawling over her mate towards the now petrified officer. "Wilde!" Still getting no response he turned to the vulpine. "Nick, take her out of here until she calms down." Nodding, he gathered up his bunny and headed out into the hall. The last thing he heard as the door closed was Bogo addressing the coyote. "Word of advice, Southpaw. Don't. Insult. The fox."

It only took Judy a few minutes to calm down which was a vast improvement from even as recent as a few weeks ago. She no longer felt an instinctual drive to attack the coyote, though she certainly still wanted to hit him. _Nobody insults my fox._ Letting her get her breathing under control, Nick took out his phone and sent a few texts. Nodding to show she was okay, the two reentered the room, not surprised that Officer Southpaw was regarding the rabbit with a healthy look of fear.

"So, as you were about to explain, Chief. What is this assignment and why should we agree to it?" Shooting a stern gaze at the other officer, warning him to keep is maw shut, Bogo laid out a couple files on the desk, indicating for the Wildes to each take one.

"We've had reports on this group for a while now but there had been no way to confirm the rumors until Southpaw managed to infiltrate them. What he learned was rather...disturbing." Judy spent a good amount of time studying the report while Nick flicked through the cliff notes before closing it and tossing it back on Bogo's desk. The coyote officer was rather upset by the casual dismissal of his report which turned into outright anger when Nick pulled out his cell and appeared to study the screen before tapping out another message.

"Was the report too difficult for you to read, Officer Wilde?" The snide voice from his left had the fox turning to look at Southpaw, noticing the sneer of contempt and the anger in his eyes.

"Not difficult, no. Fairly straight forward. Very easy. My nephew is in kindergarten. He could probably understand this just fine, it's that clear." The coyote scoffed.

"I highly doubt your nephew could comprehend a police report, Wilde." Letting out a wide grin, Nick had to poke the canine just a bit more.

"I'd be impressed if he could considering I don't have a nephew." Finding himself nearing the end of his patience, the undercover officer turned to the buffalo who had been watching with concealed amusement. He didn't really like the coyote either, finding him to be arrogant and a pompous ass.

"Chief. Don't you think we should be talking to a more _competent_ officer? Wilde does not seem to have the discipline that this assignment would take."

"You'd be surprised what Officer Wilde is capable of. Want to tell us what you've learned. Wilde?" Nick looked up to see the Chief staring at him expectantly. Bogo knew that the tod was not merely playing on his phone and he wanted him to put the jackass in his place.

"Oh sure, Chief. Why not? It is show n' tell today, isn't it? Oh no wait, that's tomorrow. Today is pajama day, right? No? Silly hat day? Chief, do you have an extra silly hat? Oh and one for Carrots too, please." Suddenly not feeling quite so much love for the vulpine, Bogo barked at him.

"Wilde! Your info." Never losing his cocky grin, Nick winked at the Chief while at the same time grimacing as his bunny elbowed him in the side.

"Ah-owww. Okay. Message received." Pulling up the texts on his phone, he started going through the information he had gathered in the past few minutes. "Alright, so we've got an underground fighting ring that moves around the city and districts. New warehouses every time. Locations are known only to the managers and fighters and a select group of extremely wealthy individuals. Fights are broadcasted for quite a large fee." Looking closer at his phone, his eyes widened. "Damn! _Quite_ a large fee. That's six months salary! Chief, I want a raise." The snort from the massive mammal had Nick swallowing hard, his smirk faltering for a second. "Right. So. Where was I?"

"We already know all of this. It's all in my report. This is a waste of time, Chief Bogo." Nick wagged his digit at the annoyed canine.

"Not finished, woofy." Ignoring the heated glare sent his way, the fox turned his attention back to his phone. "We've got prey fighters. Knockout, no kills. Predator managers only. Staff is all preds as well. Ah, here we go. Whole thing is run by a mammal that goes by 'Claw.'" At that the coyote looked surprised. Six weeks in and he had never found out anything about the leader of the league. Nick tapped a few more times on his phone, getting an almost immediate tone back signaling a reply. "Okay, here we go. 'Claw' A.K.A. 'Robert Manely.' Male lion. Thirty nine years old, degree in business and statistics, no priors, never been caught I'll wager, favorite food is-..." Nick looked up, his face a bit sheepish. "Gotta remember to stop being so vague with Honey. 'Need info' turned into eighteen texts and-" another chime interrupted him. "Nineteen texts. Just gonna turn this off now." He flicked it to silent mode and placed it back in his pocket.

Officer Southpaw was stunned. So many mammal hours, resources, funds, not to mention broken bones and weeks of healing spent on that operation and a cop not even into his first year got more information in ten minutes with a cell phone. He started fuming, angrily flexing his paws as if itching to reach over and claw the smug look right off the canine's muzzle. While coyotes weren't looked on in the most favorable of lights, they prided themselves on never having sunk as low as foxes, who were known to the whole species as sly criminals willing to kill you for your belt and the gold fillings in your teeth. More than one story went around the coyote campfire about foxes. Terrence Southpaw had never trusted one. His father and his grandfather both instilled in him a wariness of mammals with sharp teeth and red fur. And now he was being forced to rely on one to complete his failure.

"So, now that we're done showing off who's got the biggest phone, let me ask you again, Chief. What are you expecting from Carrots and obviously me in regards to this whole case?" Bogo didn't get to be the Chief without being able to read mammals and he had shown on many occasions that Nick was more of an open book than he preferred to believe, though the buffalo guessed that extended only to himself and his partner. And what he could see told him that the fox knew _exactly_ why they were sitting in that chair.

"We've been set back monumentally at Officer Southpaw's cover being blown. Weeks of setting up an info flow and potential at a sting op are down the proverbial shitter. We can't use him anymore, even with a further disguise. We have more undercover officers but we've decided that a single mammal is too vague a cover. The predator managers are playing roulette with whatever prey they are assigned which can cause major problems trying to get close to the upper echelon. Prey contenders face an equal problem as the managers keep a very close eye on their fighters." Nick saw where this was going and he wasn't exactly thrilled with the implications.

"So you want to send in a duo, one pred, one prey, to play the role of a team. And since Carrots is probably the best fighter on the force and she can't be without me for extended periods of time, you want us to do it. Great. I love this plan already." Nick's lip curled in a sneer, not happy in the slightest at having his mate put out there and threatened.

"Wilde, we aren't just putting you in there because of your wife's condition," Southpaw's head picked up at that. Bogo noticed and silently cursed himself, "you've got years of experience playing different roles and we need that in there. We need someone slick enough to change things up on the fly." Nick couldn't help but give a small smile at that, though Judy frowned. While she may call her mate 'Slick' on occasion, that was a fond nickname from when they first met. _Although,_ she thought to herself, _it pretty much describes him to a 'T'._ She wouldn't be surprised he would somehow implement that into his identity if they decided to do the case, which Judy had already chosen to.

Turning to face the bunny beside him, he could see the burning fire in her eyes and sighed silently, knowing he was going to be roped into it no matter what he decided. Putting his paw over his eyes and pinching his muzzle, he faced the Chief. "Alright. I guess we're in. Though I want to go on the record that Officer Carrots is dragging me int-OW!" He fell silent while rubbing his side.

"What Nick meant to say, Chief, is that we will be happy to carry out this assignment. I assume because of our notoriety that we're going to need to be in disguise as Officer Southpaw was?" Though she had calmed down and no longer felt the urge to attack the coyote, she was still pissed at how he had treated her mate and kept her reference to him as icy as possible.

"Correct. I want you two to head down to the undercover division in hallway M." Nick and Judy looked at each other, confusion evident on both of their faces. Neither of them had even heard of a hallway M. The coyote snorted, seemingly loving their ignorance. "Southpaw here will show you the way." His expression of merriment quickly turned to one of horror at Bogo's words. "Understand what your assignment is?" The rabbit and fox nodded, one a little more hesitant than the other. "Good. Now get out."

* * *

"I am _so_ not okay with dying my fur." The minute they had stepped into the room, Nick had been apprehensive of what he had seen. Rows and rows of outfits for all possible characters they could think off. Several fur salon areas for cutting and styling, something he would absolutely refuse to be going near. It was the stacks of different dye colors that had him the most upset. "I like my color and I don't plan on looking like anyone else."

"That's kind of the point of an undercover disguise, Slick." Judy had busied herself looking over the clothing selections while they waited for the design team to show up. So far she had found several dresses she liked, though none were in her size and also wouldn't be what she would need for her assignment. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll love you whether you're red, orange, white, pink, or rainbow."

"How about purple?" He hefted a jar of dye, surprised at it's heaviness. "I can match your beautiful eyes." Judy blushed heavily, the insides of her ears turning very pink.

"I don't think so, Mr. Wilde." Both mammals jumped as a skunk entered through the door, followed closely by an arctic hare and a cougar. Figuring out they were part of the design team would have been easy even if they were not waiting in that room. The skunk who had spoken, obviously the one in charge by the way she carried herself, had dyed her white stripe a vibrant red color as well as adding several blues and yellows to the black along her neck and most likely her back as well. The arctic hare was completely white, but the fact that they were in downtown and she worked at the precinct, her color must be from a dye as her winter colors would have faded by then. The cougar had no dye on his body, but he was wearing some very odd choices of clothing. With an open vest and no shirt as well as bell bottom jeans, he reeked of a 70's hipster.

"I am Christine Mephiti. We have already reviewed your body images and have determined the best look for you. Heather will work with Officer Judy and you, Mr. Wilde, will be stuck with myself and Gregory." Watching the cougar crack his knuckles, Nick felt a little concerned.

"Can I have Heather instead? Saturday Night Fever over there doesn't scream 'gentle touch'."

"I don't think so, Slick." Judy's voice carried over from beyond the curtain that been drawn between them. "If you think I'm letting my fox near another bunny you're even crazier than I thought."

"I don't know." What could only be the voice of the arctic hare came through the divider loud and clear. "I think he looks pretty h-"

"Heather. If you value your fur I would not complete that sentence." Laced with what could only be described as venom, the words from the gray officer did not hint at a threat, it _was_ a threat. Nick could imagine the surprise on the white hare's face as it probably mirrored the one on the skunk's.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it." Judy could tell that the other lapine was close to tears and mentally kicked herself for losing her cool again.

"Not your fault, Heather. You didn't do anything wrong. It's a... _condition_ I have. Just don't hit on or flirt with Nick, please. I can't always control it." Christine looked a bit apprehensive at leaving the two does together but after hearing them calm down and begin discussing other topics, mostly about comparing rabbit cultures and their respective climates, she went back to describing her plan.

"Okay. Mr. and Mrs. Wilde. For your assignment we have determined that it would be best to look the most intimidating as possible for Mrs. Wilde and more experienced looking for Mr. Wilde. As such, Judy? You will be dyed full black and we will disguise your eye color with bright blue contacts." Picturing herself as an all black doe gave her a bit of a thrill. She loved her gray color but black does were rare and very exotic looking. Nick was a little more bothered. While he could deal with the color change, he wasn't thrilled about looking into her eyes and seeing something he did not recognize.

"Nick. We're going to keep your russet color, but we're going to dye your tail and paws white as they are very distinctive features. We'll also be adding some gray to your head and muzzle, as well as some streaks along your body and paws. It will make you appear older and hopefully, with your knowledge of how the criminal element works, not that you ever were involved in that," she held up her paws, noticing the outline of Judy stiffen beyond the curtain, "we expect it to pass suspicion."

Relieved he wouldn't be going completely gray, or arctic, or black himself, Nick allowed himself to be put through the dying process. Luckily for him he did not need to remove all of his clothes, being left with his boxers. Judy, he knew, would need to be stripped down to nothing in order to get all of her dyed black for the disguise to work. "How you doing over there, Carrots?" Feeling the cougars large paws drawing gray streaks along his ears, he could see Christine slathering white dye along his tail, coating over the black.

"I can definitely say I'm not enjoying it. Not the naked part. Months at the Oasis kinda took care of that but the dye feels awful. Smells bad t-Gah! Jeez Heather, your paws are freezing. And let's stay away from that area, shall we? I don't think any fighters will be examining me _that_ closely." Snickering, Nick tried to muffle it with his paw, but bunny ears were far too strong for such a mild cover-up. "Think that's funny, Slick? You won't be examining me in that area either." Knowing she couldn't actually follow through on her threat, he simply scoffed and let the team get back to work.

It took a little over an hour for everything to be covered and they were told they had to keep still for about forty five minutes in order for it to set properly. Left with nothing else to do, the pair spent a few minutes chit chatting before inevitably wandering to their phones. Nick amused himself with Candy Crush, having become addicted to the mobile game so much that he would occasionally challenge others online to beat his scores. Judy spent some time surfing social media sites and responding to some family messages and notifications. She desperately wanted to send her mom a picture of her with black fur but it was termed 'undercover' for a reason so pics were a no-go.

Eventually they were done and the curtain was withdrawn. Nick had to admit that black-furred Judy was pretty hot, though he fell in love with her gray color and lovely lavender eyes and wanted her back to normal Judy soon. Something he hadn't been expecting was Heather's creativity. She had added two dark streaks of red down her ears and circling around to the front along her right eye. Though it was just for show, it truly did make her look more intimidating. Judy on the other paw was none too thrilled with how her mate looked. She loved his black tipped tail and the white made him look slightly alien to her, not to mention the gray streaks had aged him ten years at least. Even worse was the amber contacts that hid his vibrant emerald eyes. The worst though, was something very upsetting to her. "How come _he_ got to keep his underwear on?" Nick couldn't hold back and let out a heart laugh at the indignant look on his bunny's face. She glared daggers at him but he couldn't stop himself.

"Alright, enough of that. Let's move on to the wardrobe." This was where the look truly made the character. Too little or too much could ruin the character, and they needed to play the part proper in order to make it into the arena. For Nick it was relatively easy. Control and authority demanded some dramatic flair. Outfitting him with a dark gray suit and deep red tie, Nick became 'Theodore 'Bad Boy' Faber'. Both Christine and Judy rolled their eyes at Nick's addition of the nickname, but he insisted it was necessary and they gave up arguing. He also walked away with a black suit and dark purple tie.

Judy took a bit longer. The choice of casual wear was easy. Jeans and regular t-shirts would be enough for her, though they also gave her a dark denim jacket to give her a more hardened appearance. For her fighting wear, it was far more difficult. Everything either screamed pro-wrestler or dominatrix. Finally they settled on a deep red neoprene suit like her uniform though with steel leg shields, gauntlets, and thin chest guard. Admiring her new look in the mirror, she listened to the name they had decided on, shaking her head as Nick once again input a nickname he claimed was necessary. Harley 'Thunder' Corday was born.

"Damn, Carrots. Looking good." Unable to help herself, Judy blushed at his compliment, the pink inside her ears deepening. She would have to watch that reaction when in the arena area. Fighters aren't meant to show any weaknesses or they could be capitalized on.

Cocking her hips out, Judy let her ear flop down over an eye, giving her a sultry look. "You ever been with a _wild_ bunny before, foxy? I'm sure I could teach you a thing or two." Moving closer, Nick returned the look with one of his own, intrigued by the way she was acting.

"I don't think my mate would approve."

"Who says she has to know?" They both were looking at each other heatedly, all but ignoring their surroundings until the sound of someone clearing their throat got their attention. Slightly embarrassed they turned to see the design team still in the room. Heather was blushing heavily while Gregory was fake fanning himself giving them both a amused grin. Christine however looked none too pleased.

"If you want to continue this little... _display_ , then you can take it out of my work space. I don't need the smell of fox and rabbit sex in my department." Looking a bit sheepish, the two mammals headed for the door. "Oh, and just a heads up. That dye will last two weeks. If your assignment takes longer then you need to come back for touch-ups." They thanked the skunk and left.

"Hey Carrots. Want to test our disguises? See if anyone recognizes us? We can make our voices a bit deeper or something. I mean the wolves will be able to tell but everyone else it might work."

"Speaking of smells, Nick. The dye covered up the mark. Can you reapply it, please?" She had been trying to ignore the increased anxiety that had cropped up during the dying process. Thankfully Nick was very close by and she was able to still smell him otherwise things would have gone very badly. She had to wait until they had left the room so that her condition didn't leak out to everyone.

"Oh, of course, Carrots. Why didn't you say something? I would have done it immediately." Seeing the shift in her eyes, he knew something was up and it didn't take long to understand what. "Ah. Didn't want them to know. I gotcha." Leaning down, he swiped her cheeks and across her nose and head. Mixing with the dye, his scent seemed slightly off to him but for Judy it seemed to work just fine.

"That doesn't make me a coward, does it? I mean not wanting others to know about that?"

Reaching out, he took her arm to stop her and drew her close to him, holding her gently. "Carrots, you are not a coward. The Bond just makes you feel vulnerable and you put up your walls to keep yourself protected. We all do it to some degree or another about something. You're one of the strongest mammals I know of, Judy. But even you aren't immune to everything out there. Besides," he waggled his brow before leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Don't want everyone knowing how attracted you are to me. Other girls might think I'm a super stud and try to steal me away."

Nick suddenly found himself being shoved up against the wall, the angry bunny in front of him growling fiercely. Though completely black with very different eyes, Nick could easily feel his bunny surging through. " _Mine!"_

* * *

"So. Chief. How do you want to go about this?" Standing in front of Bogo, the two very different looking mammals waited for their assignment. The way the buffalo's ear kept flicking, they had a feeling he was very annoyed about something. "Do we approach them today? Tomorrow? Christmas Day? Any day not ending in the letter 'Y'?"

Scowling fiercely, Chief Bogo looked down harshly at the vulpine whose ears suddenly slicked back along his head. "First thing we're going to do is go over what just happened with you two." Suddenly very nervous, the fox and rabbit glanced sideways at each other.

"Not sure what you're talkin' about, Buffalo Bill." Nick was hoping that throwing out a few smarmy names at the towering mammal in front of him might distract him from continuing what he knew was likely coming.

"Oh you know. I know you know. And what you know is this." Turning his computer monitor around, Bogo hit play on the surveillance video outside of hallway M. Standing in the corridor was a small black bunny and a middle aged fox, lips locked together in fierce desperation. The bunny's legs wrapped around the fox's waist, dangerously close to his groin. Breaking free and looking around, the two of them opened a nearby door and ducking into what appeared to be a supply closet. "Here's where it gets a bit _boring_ shall we say." Bogo's forced grin looked dangerously frightening. He keyed up the fast forward and they watched as the time ticked half an hour. Then an hour. Finally at just under an hour and twenty minutes, the door opened and out the two mammals came, both of them quickly straightening their clothing.

He flicked off the video and stared down at the officers. "So. Either of you want to explain this?"

Judy tried to think of someway to tell her boss that it had been her fault. That she had experienced a hormonal surge of heat that demanded to be quenched. She knew he would understand but the fact that it was at the precinct would not bode well for her and her mate. Unfortunately for her, Nick had fallen back on humor to try and defuse the situation.

"Had to take a nap. Those dye fumes are murder." Bogo raised a brow. "We were seeing if her red stripes glow in the dark?" Sitting stoically, the Chief let out a few irritated huffs. "Would you believe a surprise supply inventory?" Sighing heavily, Bogo turned to his other officer, not at all having difficulty recognizing her under all the black fur.

"Wilde. How bad is this going to get with you? This isn't the first time you two have been caught in a sexual act on duty and I'm certain that there's been a lot more where you just haven't been caught. Now I need to know if this is going to affect your performance."

Judy hung her head, disappointed in herself that she once again had given into her physical needs so easily. "Chief, I won't sugarcoat it and I won't tell you any lies. The Bond is only going to progress and get worse as time goes on. I hesitate to suggest this, but it may be best to just let it happen and not mention it. There's a large difference between me and Nick being amorous and my condition forcing me to satisfy it's demands. The only other option is for me to resign and I really would rather not do that sir."

Giving her a piercing gaze, Bogo seemed lost in contemplation. "I'd rather not lose you, Wilde. Either of you. You are both good cops and while this... _problem_ makes things difficult, it may be a necessary evil. I will overlook today's incident and speak with Dr. Bales tomorrow afternoon. Find out what can be done. Now, as for your assignment." Both officers straightened up as the Chief pulled out a file. "Before Southpaw got his cover blown he managed to get the location for the next event. It's tomorrow evening. That doesn't give you much time to prep but if we miss this window we won't get another shot to infiltrate it. Head to the garage and pick a car for the duration of the assignment. Then head home and brush up on all the info we have on this group. Dismissed."

Grabbing the file, Nick headed out followed closely by Judy who paused only to send the buffalo a sad smile as an apology. She could have sworn seeing the edges of his lips turn upwards, his eyes also filled with a sadness before the moment was gone and his gruff expression slid back into place. They all knew the Chief had a soft spot for his officers though he rarely ever showed it. It did make the rabbit feel better knowing he really did care about her condition and not that it was just a burden.

"Alright, Carrots. Need to go pick a car for the next few days. Just wish we had my BOSS but I wouldn't trust it around those criminals. They might breath on it."Even knowing what the case detailed and what was going to be necessary for their job, Nick felt a little elated at finally having been given a large case to work on. They had both been going a little stir crazy with all the tiny cases and patrol work for several months. And their first undercover mission to boot. Judy smiled as her mate pranced around like a kit in a candy store. She also was looking forward to undertaking their new assignment and couldn't wait until tomorrow night.

Walking into the garage, they surveyed their choices of undercover vehicles. While most of them were common models, slightly dented or rusted, they were meant to hide in snowbanks and plain sight allowing for easy surveillance. What they needed was different. They needed flashy. Something to scream importance. Something to gain attention and notoriety. The way to get in with the boss was to make themselves seem like mammals that could enhance his own status for interacting with them. With that in mind, Nick moved to one of the newest acquisitions. A silver Porsche 918 Spyder. The car's design commanded attention. While the specs on the car were pretty high-end even for a hybrid, he knew that the look of the car was what would make them seem important. Unless they were car mammals, the fancy appearance was enough to impress any of the upper echelon guests at the fight. It took a few minutes to convince the Chief to take it, but as it had been seized from a drug dealer and would most likely be auctioned off next month, he didn't feel all that concerned for them to take it, as long as they brought it back in the same condition it left.

So the two headed out in the high-end super car, Judy whooping gleefully as they took the corners a little faster than Nick would normally risk in his own car. He was surprised how well it handled, but the power just didn't feel that same. For the case though it would be more than adequate. They had avoided interacting with their co-workers just in case word about their undercover assignment got leaked out, but it was rather amusing to seem them stare dumbfounded at a fox and rabbit speeding out of the precinct in a seized car. Chief Bogo would get many emergency reports that evening.

Reaching their apartment complex, the pair parked in their usual spot before Judy remembered she left her car at the precinct. "Don't worry about it, Carrots. We can't use it during our assignment anyways. Why don't you call Trisha or Sundae. Maybe they could use the car for a week. That way at least you know it's not gonna get crushed by Delgato's horrible driving." Her eyes widening frightfully, Judy quickly dialed her sister and worked out for one of them to get the keys from Clawhauser and take the car for a while.

Her appetite for Nick sated by that afternoon's supply closet excursion, Judy found herself absolutely exhausted and headed for bed, knowing their day tomorrow would be an energy nightmare. Kissing her fox goodnight, she went and laid down. Nick spent a little bit longer on the couch, staring at nothing. He was consumed with worry about what they were getting themselves into. Not for himself. He'd taken more beatings in his life to ever be scared of another one, even if it killed him. No. It was his bunny he was worried about. The idea of her being in that arena even once made him shiver with fear, but she would be going in there multiple times. Eventually he got up and went to join his mate. Laying down, he moved up next to her and pulled her close into his body. She happily snuggled deeper into his embrace, even while sleeping desiring to be close to him. Wrapping his tail over her, he kissed her head and drifted off.

* * *

Driving to the location, Nick found himself gripping the steering wheel rather harder than he meant to. His nerves had become more rattled as time had progressed that day and he feared it would cause the whole operation to fall flat. He didn't want to be the reason why the ZPD lost track of the league. Meanwhile to his left sat a very excited black bunny. While still adjusting to her own reflection, Judy had gotten up with a lot more energy than she usually did. She was looking forward to starting their assignment. While she was a terrific fighter, she really didn't enjoy it outside of the sparring ring. The idea of getting into the arena for the sole purpose of knocking another mammal out bothered her, but the intrigue and draw of being undercover easily crushed those feelings into dust.

"Hurry Nick. I want to get there and get warmed up." Between the makeup session and the early bedtime, Judy had not gotten in as much training as she normally did each day. Knowing she would be put into a fight soon, perhaps even as early as tomorrow, she wanted to make sure she was in peak condition. Nick had to shake his head at her enthusiasm.

"Chill, Carrots. We'll be there in a few minutes. And watch the name calling. It's 'Theodore' or 'Theo' or 'Ted' or 'The'. You can even call me 'Bad Boy' if you want." Giggling behind her paws, Judy flashed him a heated look.

"I'll call you that once we get to the hotel." Because of their undercover work, the two had been dismayed to find out that they would have to abandon their apartment for the time being, being forced to put themselves up in a hotel. Luckily the department was paying but it still was going to feel alien to them. Nick had made sure to contact the snow leopard John and explain he was going out of town for a while so the apartment would be locked up. He also informed him he would be out of cell reception. The department had confiscated their phones in exchange for burner ones. He gave John several high-end bets to tide him over until they got back.

"Too bad we have to wait until then." Reaching out a paw, he lowered it down to her black furred ear but was quickly stopped, her own paw wrapping around his.

"Don't even think about it, Slick. One, I'm not having sex in some drug dealers car. Two, I don't need to reek of sex when we arrive. And three...well I can't think of a three, but the first two are enough." He smirked knowing how easily she could lose control and forget those two reasons but he decided to be a good fox and left her alone.

"We're here." Judy sat up straighter, trying to peer over the dashboard at their destination. Nick had pulled into what seemed like an abandoned parking lot outside an industrial warehouse. It had seen better days with multiple windows busted out and graffiti spray painted all over the outside. "Well, it certainly _looks_ the part of being a secret fight club. Let's see what's inside." Spotting a few fresh tire treads, Nick followed them up to a massive sliding door. If he didn't know it was a factory he would swear it was an aircraft hanger with the size of the opening. The tracks led inside but before they could figure out a plan for getting in, two mammals, a grizzly and a hyena, burst out from the side door, an UZI SMG in paw.

"You got three seconds to turn around or get lit up." The way the hyena gripped his weapon told them he was serious in his threat and the casual handling of the grizzly showed he was familiar with using his. Thinking quickly, Nick rolled down his window.

"Got a new fighter for ya." Exchanging glances with his fellow guard, the hyena turned back to the car.

"Don't know what you're talkin' bout. Now, like I said before. Leave." Leaning his head out the window, Nick lowered the shades he had picked to go with his outfit, a pair of sleek black Oakleys. His smug, confident attitude plus the car he was driving set the two mammals a bit, not to mention how he didn't seem at all phased by their threat.

"Don't tell me ol' Claw has stopped playing the prey entertainment game." Now their eyes widened as they realized that this fox was definitely more than they thought. Cocky, rich suit, high-end car. This was a high-roller if they had ever seen one. Whipping out a walkie, the grizzly called inside. They couldn't hear the conversation, the distance muffling it too much, but with the body language, they figured they were going inside in just a few seconds. Indeed, not even twenty seconds later, they found themselves rolling through the doors into what looked like car collector heaven. Nick could have spent hours looking at all the vehicles but Judy grasped his paw and hauled him towards the stairwell. Luckily no other guards were inside the garage area or it would look really odd for a manager to be yanked around by their fighter.

Ascending the stairs to what he figured was the factory floor, Nick reached a steel door and pulled hard only to find it locked. Having Judy step back behind him, he knocked on the door knowing one of two things was going to happen, and since there was no sliding panel, the only other option... _click_. The lock disengaging, the door was pushed open to reveal a large set of very sharp teeth in the maw of a Siberian tiger. "What do you want."

"New fighter." Gesturing Judy out from behind him, he stared down the feline, his smug smirk fixed in place. Though he was shaking on the inside, his outer character was firmly in place. "Here to speak to Claw about her joining the league." While the mammal was not entirely trusting of foxes, the league had attracted many of them due to their appreciation of a dishonest dollar. He also had been untrusting of anyone showing up to get involved with the league outside of gambling after they had caught a cop in their midst. He was about to turn the fox away except for two things.

The first was that he had a prey mammal ready to compete. And not only that, but a bunny. A rabbit joining forces with a fox of all mammals was something to behold. The second was that he had known to ask for Claw directly. Very few mammals were privy to who actually ran the league and to actually hear him use the name sent a bit of a jolt down the tiger's spine. It didn't matter who the fox was, what he was dressed like, or what he drove. Just being able to say the boss's name was enough to tell him he was a _big_ player.

Opening the door wide, the tiger let the two mammals in. Judy had to keep herself from slapping her paws over her ears as the noise level skyrocketed. She had caught a small dose when the door first opened, but now in the actual building, the noise was deafening "Wait here." Turning, Judy watched as the doormammal started climbing a different set of steps leading to an overseer's office with frosted glass. It was impossible to see more than vague shapes through it but she supposed that was the point. If Manely didn't want people to know who he was, then he wouldn't give them that chance.

"Car- _Harley_ , over here." Looking back towards her mate, she saw him standing near the edge of a pit in the center of the room. Following, she looked down into what she realized was the arena. Though roughly the size of a boxing ring, the arena was nothing like one. A bare steel floor offered no protection if one was to fall and the circular flat steel walls could cause massive damage if one were to be thrown into it. There were no handholds and the slick metal offered no footing. Combatants would be at the mercy of whatever their opponent's skill level was and, judging by what Judy was witnessing, those skills were high.

A large gray squirrel was currently battling a streaked hyrax. Judy had only met a pawful of hyraxes, most of them being rather slow and non-aggressive, however this one was different. Throwing lightning quick punches, he twisted and turned, snapping out sharp kicks at his opponent. The speed of the squirrel though was too much for the hyrax, his swings routinely hitting only air. A few glancing blows had the squirrel reeling back, her sharp cries only serving to rile her up and pursue the challenger. Judy realized they had to have been at the fight for a while as both of them were slowing, their reflexes becoming more sluggish. The hyrax landed a solid punch into the squirrel's face, sending it flying backward. Thinking he had the advantage, he rushed up to finish the fight. What he didn't see coming, though the two officers had, was the squirrel's face contorted in desperation as she threw her two feet straight at him, landing right on his jaw. Though she was smaller, the force from her paws lifted the mammal off the floor to land heavily on his head a short distance away. The clanging sound of his head slamming into the steel and his still form had the bell ringing and the female squirrel being raised in victory. The duo clapped in respect. Neither officer liked what the league was doing, but they had to give credit where it was due, and the squirrel had fought well.

"Mr. Claw will see you now." Unbeknownst to them, the tiger had returned and snuck up until within a foot of their backs. Though distracted by the fight and the noise, Judy felt she should have been able to hear him and mentally kicked herself for not paying better attention to her surroundings. They followed the cat to the same set of stairs they had seen him use earlier and ascended right behind him. Reaching the uppermost door, he opened it and waved them inside before stepping in himself and closing the door and crossing his arms. They realized he was back to guard duty and they only be getting out of that room if he was ordered to let them out.

"So," a strong voice carried from a black office chair, facing away from them. "You have brought a little bunny rabbit and think you can join the league."

Nick couldn't help himself and scoffed. "Seriously? Chair turned away, ominous voice, implied danger before you turn and face us? Did you go to classic movie villain school or something? Ow!" Feeling the punch to his thigh from the black furred rabbit next to him, he sent her a wry smile. "Seriously, Claw. I'm gonna die laughing if you turn and overshoot your stopping point. Why not just stand up and we'll talk about it."

They heard a sigh before a creak of the chair. Over the top appeared a mane and then a dark black suit jacket. Turning to face them, they noticed he was wearing a white shirt, unbuttoned at the top and no tie in sight. _He likes to look in control and casual at the same time,_ Nick mused. _I can use that. Somehow. Probably not but worth filing away._

"Alright." The booming sound of the lion's voice was impressive. "You've got my attention. How do you know who I am? I've had dozens of mammals come through here, managers and prey alike. None of them know who I am. So why do you?"

 _Time for Slick Nick to come out and play._ "Let's just say I know some mammals who know you. It's not important who as I'm not going to reveal that anyway. However, if you would like to talk some business..." He spread his paws, welcoming the discussion. After a few moments of looking the vulpine up and down, Claw nodded.

"Very well. What is it that you're trying to accomplish here?"

"Straight to the point, I like it. Theodore Faber. You can call me Theo. Or Ted. Or Aaron. I've always liked the name Aaron. Sounds like a voice command. Air. On. I've been running with Harley over here for about three years. Boxing champion, kickboxing champion, arena battles. She's done it all really. Now she's got no one left to fight. She wants challenges. Me? I want money. She's been making me quite a bit of dough over the years and I want to keep that streak going. Now, I heard from another league owner that this is the place to be for good fights and lucrative opportunities. Is that true or should I take my showstopper somewhere else?"

He gave the lion time to think it over while his mind analyzed everything he could see about the mammal. He was no slouch that was for sure. His suit failed to hide the impressive biceps and muscles in his neck that showed he was packing significant power behind his business facade. His mane was lighter than Lionheart's had been but it made him seem more sleek-lined which could help him in a fight.

Meanwhile, the other mammal had been examining the two officers in front of him as well. The fox carried himself well. Standing tall but loose, the ideal arrogant attitude he had come to both love and hate about certain mammals. His rich gray suit and shiny and well cared for fur told him this was a mammal that was extremely prideful about his appearance which made sense as a fox of obvious wealth. And the Porsche he had arrived in was more proof of that wealth being tossed around. The rabbit was a different mammal entirely. He wasn't one to admire prey but even he had to admit the small creature was proof that not all of her species was shy and timid. She had come dressed for war and her spirit seemed so as well. She would have to be tested and he certainly knew how to go about with that.

"You know. I think I have a spot for her. A match coming up soon. I'll have Fang take you down to the arena area and discuss terms." Nodding at the tiger, he turned away from them to look out the window overlooking the arena and viewing platforms. Nick and Judy, feeling themselves being dismissed, turned and followed the other big cat back down the stairs into the main room. Taking a side stairwell, they continued into the lower areas where they had seen the combatants exit, all the while the tiger was explaining the league to them.

"All the fighters are prey mammals. Genders aren't excluded but there are different size classes. You, a bunny, will be teamed up against the small mammals. Jackrabbits, sheep, hyrax and squirrels like you just witnessed, beavers, armadillos, et cetera. You," he turned to Nick, "will be observing your fighter from up above. You can collect her when the matches are over. The fights go until one is unconscious. You try to stop a match, you will be dealt with. Harshly." Though the threat of having his mate alone and without him to back her up had the fox petrified, he kept his composure, seemingly uninterested in anything the feline had to say. "This is where the fights are held." Motioning for Judy to look through the door grille, he also waved his arm towards the wall behind Nick. As Judy stepped up to the door, two other predators, a wolf and a black bear came up behind Nick and grabbed his arms, pushing him up against the wall. Before she could even react, Judy felt herself lifted around the midsection and thrown the now open door before it slammed shut in her face. The tiger turned towards the fox who was desperately fighting a losing battle against his captors. "She wins, you're in. She doesn't...well...Claw won't be too happy with you wasting his time."

Nick could only look on helplessly as his mate scratched at the door, trying to find some way to open it, but it held tight. A grating sound from behind her had the bunny freezing in her tracks. Seeing the wide eyed look on her fox's face, she slowly turned around. Entering through the opposite doorway was a ram. A very large, very powerfully built ram. Each horn was roughly half the size of her entire body and the tips were sharpened to a point so fine that just looking at them would cause you to feel pain. His shirt and jeans were tight around large arms and powerful legs. Judy's mind barely even registered the word 'fear' but it did know 'caution' and right now that alarm was screaming within her head.

With an angry stomp of it's hoof, the ram lowered his head, and charged.


	33. Chapter 37 - Testing the limits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really glad you are liking the new story arc. It was born from a line from a movie, which was then joked about, which then started a ridiculous avalanche of ideas because my brain is an idiot and doesn't shut off.
> 
> Story note: Judy is still marked and will remain so. The dye does not ruin it or she would be in a constant state of near death. As for their undercover aspect, they are relying on one thing that would normally make Nick violently ill (figuratively) if that was his reality and will be touched upon later in this chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer: So I was pitching some ideas for Zootopia 2 to the Disney executives. They seemed to really like it and hired me. Had me write them all down. An hour later they fired me and threw me out. I was hired and fired on the same day. But the jokes on you, Disney! I get to put you on my resume!

Instincts are so ingrained within each animal that they can seize control when the rational and conscious mind fails to react. Evolution can increase the intelligence of a mammal. It can shape the body in many ways, making them stronger, faster, more resilient. What never changes though, is instinct. Adapting to an experience in a manner the higher functions of the brain could not hope to contend with. It was these instincts mixing with a surge of adrenaline that had Judy Wilde leaping well over the charging ram, though only barely clearing the lowered horns in time.

The resulting crash as thick bone met hardened steel echoed throughout the arena. While Judy focused on her opponent, Nick stared with hope at the grated door which had violently shook when hit by the ram, silently praying it would have come loose enough for his partner to escape. A hope that was dashed as it held secure, the bolts too strong to be snapped by something so trivial. Nick had to pray that Judy would be able to beat her opponent without getting injured herself.

Judy had watched the mammal carefully after he hit the door. Though she knew rams had a very thick and tough skull, she was still surprised at how steady he seemed, not showing even a hint at being dazed. His physique was very impressive, she had to admit. Her and Nick had faced down many rams during their career, several of them during the Nighthowler case, though none of them seemed to have been built up like this one now eyeing her. She supposed the fact that he was a career fighter had much to do with it and Judy wondered just how she was going to take down this opponent.

Before she had readied herself, the ram had sped towards her once more. This time he threw his horns rather than blindly charging. She managed to deflect a vicious strike using one of her gauntlets, but the vibration ringing through her arm was enough to make it go temporarily numb. Diving hard to the left, the rabbit scrambled madly throwing herself back to the right in order to dodge the stomping hooves crashing down from above. Lashing out in desperation, Judy's hindpaw caught the ram's kneecap, causing him to grunt in pain and stumble to the side. She tried to repeat her attack, aiming for the unprotected knee on his other side , but the speed of the larger mammal caught her off guard. He trapped her foot in a hoof that felt more like a vice and threw her backwards.

It took nearly all of her agility to right herself in mid-air before slamming into the metal wall. The shock sent vibrations up through her bones, rattling her teeth and her nerves. This was one of the toughest opponents she had ever faced. He hit hard, he moved quick, and they were trapped inside a steel circle with nothing to launch herself on or take advantage of. He wasn't perfect, though. She could see many mistakes he was making and several openings he seemed unaware of. She needed to bide her time until an opportunity presented itself and pray she didn't take the brunt of his attacks first. Something not easily done, she surmised while spring-boarding off the fist that narrowly missed crushing her head into the floor.

Her dodges, while effective at keeping her safe, were not giving her the openings she needed. He apparently was not as clueless as she first thought. This was truly an experienced fighter and she guessed the previous 'opportunities' she had been shown were merely bait to lure her in closer. Even worse was that she seemed unable to rile him up, his visage showing pure concentration, not the anger and rage she needed to see. Emotions that she could take advantage of. It was truly going to be a test of skill and not a game of chess as she had hoped when she saw how strong he was.

Speeding forward, she took the fight to him, going on the offensive. She aimed for his legs again but, as he hunched down to pummel her, quickly sprang into the air landing a hard kick to his face, hoping to do some damage. She did indeed cause some damage, but it was to her own foot, the hardened skull bruising the top of it. The ram suffered a small bleed from his nose, one that went unnoticed, staining his white wool red.

Judy tried not to show it, not wanting to reveal any weakness to her opponent, but the conscious mind does not always determine what the body will do. She hit the ground with a slight limp, favoring the bruise. It lasted only a moment before she gained control of herself but it was enough to betray her. For the first time since they had begun dueling each other, Judy saw the ram show emotion. A cold, calculated grin. He saw, he knew, and he was going to exploit it.

With no time to rest, Judy had to dodge again as the ram charged at her. This time though, he pushed her towards her right where her foot was now the weakest. She regained her footing almost immediately, but the quick recovery made her foot throb, the pain lancing up her leg. It was starting to affect her movement. The more pressure she put on it, the worse it was getting, and the slower she was becoming. Once more she was forced to leap to the right in order to avoid powerful hooves and thick horns. Landing hard, she felt her foot give way making her knee hit the ground. Before she could stand, a strong force slammed into her side sending her flying across the arena and sliding into the wall.

Outside Nick had been frantically shoving against the arms holding him in place. The two large mammals though were too strong and barely felt him shifting while they watched the match. He was scared beyond belief watching his partner, his _mate_ being tossed around the arena like a ragdoll. Nick knew she was a very experienced fighter and one of the best in the ZPD, but this was a mismatch from the get-go. Claw had obviously set up this fight as a test of the newest fighter, to weed out those who weren't meant to compete, but he had a sinking feeling he had designed this to be a much more crushing match-up though he didn't yet know why. What he did know was that Judy was going to have to come up with something quick if she was going to survive this, let alone win it.

In the arena, Judy was having much the same thought process. _He's too strong to come at head on. Too quick for in close. His head is built like a boulder and is pretty much a useless target. C'mon Judy. Think._ Her brainstorming was quickly set aside when clenched hooves started striking at her repeatedly, each time missing by a few inches at most. One of her ears even fluttered as a blow grazed the edge of her fur. Luckily for her the ram's attacks were based more on grappling and the use of his horns. His strikes, while powerful if he could land them, were slower than the rabbit's natural speed. Even with her injured foot she was able to keep up her movement to stay ahead of the punches. She hoped it would tire him out but he showed no sign of fatigue.

Strength for strength, Judy's kicks were far more powerful than the ram's strikes, however his body and training was built to withstand such brute force attacks from smaller mammals. She was not used to having her most formidable weapon taken away from the equation, but not for nothing was she known to be one of the greatest fighters in the ZPD. Adaptation came second nature to rabbits and in the ring that was one of her biggest advantages.

Relying solely on her speed now, Judy rushed forward, hoping to catch him off guard with her quick assault. She had to weave in her approach, ducking around the flailing horns that were attempting to spear her. After one particularly savage jab, the ram overextended himself giving Judy the only opening she had seen their entire fight. Quickly ducking under his midsection, Judy delivered three lightning quick punches to his solar plexus directly above his stomach. Though the ram was significantly larger than her, her punches still had force and she aimed them at a very close collection of nerves.

Suddenly finding himself without breath, pain radiating throughout his diaphragm, the spasms keeping him from drawing in air sent him into mild panic. It wasn't much, but it was enough for the bunny to gain a small advantage. When the ram raised himself up straight in an attempt to fill his lungs, Judy swept up behind him, having quickly circled around to his backside. Lashing out with a powerful kick, she caught him in the back of his knee, sending the animal to the floor. He wasn't down, but it was enough for Judy to continue her assault.

Still winded, the ram was unable to focus on the rabbit speedily rushing around him. His blurred vision and the feeling he was going to suffocate made the images hazy. As such, he did not see her heading straight for him, an almost feral look in her eyes that would send many mammals running for cover. Sliding under the ram's extended arm, Judy planted her feet and shoved off hard, her fist raised as it connected with the bulge in the mammal's neck. Pain like he had rarely ever experienced flared through the ram, sending him careening around the arena in a blind panic.

Capitalizing on his distracted state, Judy sprang onto his back. He barely noticed her hanging there. Her weight was negligible and his own immediate problems outweighed the thought of a small bunny on his shoulders. That is until the bunny wrapped her strong legs around the ram's neck from behind and started clamping them together. Now the thought of suffocation became much more than a feeling. It was a reality.

He thrashed his head back and forth, trying to shake off the small mammal, knowing that as compromised as his breathing already was, he would be out on the floor soon. Unable to dislodge her, the ram threw himself back into the steel walls. The pressure of being crushed between hard bone and strong metal made the doe cry out and her legs slightly weaken on her hold. Again she found herself planted against the wall, his attempts to remove her from his shoulders slowly working. In response, Judy plunged her paws between the ram's horns and grabbed his sensitive ears.

The first audible sound of pain rang out with a bleat from the injured sheep. It spurred on the diminutive fighter, giving her more drive. To prevent being slammed into another wall, Judy hauled on the ears, making the other mammal rear back in an attempt to lessen the pressure being exerted on them. Recognizing what would happen should he fall backwards, Judy leaned and yanked them forward, putting him further off balance. His already weakened knee buckled under the strain and he collapsed forward onto his face.

Attempting to crawl away, he suddenly found himself constricted even further, the rabbit's legs now tightening like a vice, the added support of the floor giving her greater leverage. In a last ditch effort, the ram reached above him and wrapped his hooves around Judy's chest, squeezing hard. Finding herself suddenly unable to breathe, the rabbit tried to control her panic but it came in force. Now it was a race to see which mammal would pass out first but he had been under assault for too long already. His strength waned and his hooves fell limp to the floor. It should have been over. But Judy's rage would not be denied.

One of the most irrational and powerful emotions within is rage. If left unfocused, it can overwhelm anyone into doing things normally against their morals and character. While the ram had lost the fight and was now unconscious on the steel surface beneath them, his throat was still under assault by a mammal who was quickly devolving into a primal creature, one who had her eyes set on a deadly enemy that needed to be eliminated. Tightening her legs, she began to squeeze even further than before, threatening to crush his throat and end the threat once and for all.

"Harley!" The sound was unfamiliar to the doe. The name not registering anything within her. She felt too strong paws wrap around and attempt to lift her up. Struggling violently she lashed out until a familiar presence, a certain scent, reached her. Suddenly feeling safe and content, she let herself relax. Her limbs fell limp and the trapped mammal found his head now laying on the floor. She reached out to the scent, to the touch she craved, only to feel herself rebuffed. "Carrots," the vague form whispered. "We're still in the arena. We can't be showing affection like this. Not here."

The words meant nothing to her, but the tone behind them did. It roused something within her, bringing her somewhat back to sanity. As if everything during the fight had been turned off, now that it was over the sounds poured in with a rush. Cheers and screams from those enjoying the fight, shouts of anger over lost bets, steel beams being pounded on by other fighters watching the show. Normally the noise would send a skittish rabbit into flight mode, running for any place it could find to hide or escape. Judy though was not a normal rabbit.

To her, the noise was an attempt to overpower her. To show dominance. Dominance which she would deny. Tipping her head back, she let out a scream from the deepest depths of her being. A scream filled with anger and power. One that cowed many mammals in the building and shocked even more. A victory cry was expected. A bellow of authority that affected many on an instinctual level was not. If ever there was such a thing as an Alpha bunny, this doe would be the first. Even Nick was a little shocked at her behavior though he didn't have the luxury of showing it.

Leaving the arena through the steel door that had taunted him for what felt like days as he helplessly watched his mate being crushed, the vulpine didn't dare relinquish his hold on his bunny. In her current state, he couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't attack everyone in sight. He was also worried about her physically. She had taken quite a beating inside the steel pit and until he was able to look her over, he wasn't letting anyone near her. Deciding to hightail it out of the building, to get his mate somewhere safe to heal, Nick headed for the exit.

He was dismayed and outraged when a large striped paw inserted itself between the two mammals, bring them to an abrupt halt. So enraged was he that Nick could have attacked the sneering tiger. Only the fact that Judy lay in his arms, in no condition to fight, kept his anger in check. "Claw wants to see you." The tod was sorely tempted to tell the tiger to go shove his tail where the sun don't shine but swallowed his words.

"My fighter is injured. I'm taking her to get treated so get out of my way." Stepping around the outstretched arm of the feline, he made for the door they had come in through. He had only made it a step before a large paw nearly the size of his arm had grabbed into him and spun him around.

"Claw wants to see you, _now."_ Nick was too used to powerful mammals thinking that just because they were big and bad that they could order others around. That may work for henchmen or hired thugs, but for mammals like Nick and Judy, the only reason for compliance was because of their undercover status. Something which Nick was quickly regretting as he looked down at the bruised doe in his arms. She was still out of it, the scream a few minutes prior having been instinctual and not a conscious thought.

Climbing the stairway to the overseer's control station, Nick tried to rouse the rabbit, knowing he would need her lucid so she didn't accidentally blow their cover should she awake confused. Her eyes fluttered open and he prepared himself to clamp a paw over her mouth should she start to say something. He gave her too little credit however. Sitting up, she wiped her eyes and glanced around her. "Theo? What's happening?" Impressed with her ability to slip back into character so quickly, Nick set her down, letting her walk on her own.

"Claw is 'summoning' us." He didn't like where this was going but he didn't have much choice in the matter. "You won the fight so now we're going up to sit down with the lion and discuss terms." Rubbing her sides and chest, Judy winced heavily.

"Doesn't feel like I won. Feels like I went 10 rounds with a tractor." She hadn't felt this beat up since her days at the academy during the 'Enormous Criminals' training sessions. By the flicker in the fox's eye she realized she just said the wrong thing. Suddenly aware of the tiger coming up the stairs behind them, the 'tractor' comment made more sense as to why Nick would have sent her a warning look. 'Harley' had grown up in the city. Never been outside Zootopia and spent her days fighting in illegal rings for cash. A tractor would have been alien to her and her statement could arouse suspicion in the more clever mammals around them. Thankfully, the tiger seemed to be as much of an idiot as they originally had thought as he said nothing and focused on even less.

"Trust me Ca- Harley, you definitely won. And that was a horrendously mismatched fight." Though his nerves were still fairly rattled, he knew he still had a part to play and concern over his fighter would only extend so far. "Can't believe they tossed in friggin John Rambo as an entry level test match. Not even going to make money off this match."

Cocking an eyebrow, Judy looked up at him curiously. "You know who that was?" Though she knew he was into gambling, she didn't figure her mate as a fight enthusiast, especially not an underground and illegal ring. Nick simply nodded.

"John Rambo. Ex-special forces. Dishonorably discharged, used to make his living as a boxer before moving on to stick fighting. Eventually I guess he moved onto this scene." He scratched the underside of his muzzle, deep in thought. "Rumor was that he was slipping further into PTSD and he might be kicked from the leagues." Shrugging, he helped the rabbit up one of the higher steps, her movements still limited. "Been out of the loop for too long. Guess this was the only place he could keep fighting."

 _Well that would explain his grappling movements and ridiculous physique._ Judy was no fool. She knew that if she hadn't have found that one minute opening that lasted only for a few seconds, she would have been bunny paste all over the steel. He had been far too strong and far too well trained for her to take down without a severe amount of effort, the result of which being a limping, gasping mammal finding a set of stairs too much of a challenge.

Reaching the landing, Nick went to throw open the door when the Tiger grabbed him from behind and hauled him back. Staring down at the vulpine with a glare, he bared his fangs at the russet furred mammal before pulling the door open with deliberate slowness, trying to anger him further. Nick simply kept his gaze forward, not giving the feline any sort of recognition. He was Theodore Faber. Illegal fight gambling high-roller. Trainer of some of the best, one of whom just smacked down John Rambo. The striped mammal was beneath him and Nick played his part well.

Walking past him as if he did not exist, Nick inwardly smirked at the annoyed huff he sent the tod. His eyes though were only on one mammal. A lion who stood at the window, ignoring the pair who had entered the office behind him. He gave off the impression that he was in control and that others would wait on him before the other way around. Fortunately, Nicholas Wilde thought mammals like that were full of crap.

"Alright, Claw. What the hell is the big idea? You lead us around, then have your enforcers practically tie me down as you throw my fighter into a ring with no prep and no warning. A surprise qualifier? Okay. I could buy that. Test her skills on the fly. But you send out John freaking _Rambo?_ Was this a way to weed out the the unfit or to destroy any potential challengers? Class sizes my ass. That ram is four to five times her size and he's ex-military. Now I've got an injured fighter who's gonna need at least two days to recoup, not to mention no coin purse in paw. Guess how pissed I am right now."

Having turned during the fox's spiel, the lion watched him with a slight amusement. Not many mammals were willing to stand up to the lion, especially anyone who knew his reputation in the underground. He was a force to be feared or one would often find themselves with a pair of concrete feet wraps on the edge of a pier. For a fox to be yelling at him was a new experience, one he found relatively humorous. Looking over their shoulders, her nodded to the tiger who jerked his head and left the room.

"Very well. Aaron I believe it was. Let's talk." Pulling out his office chair, he took a seat bringing himself closer to their eye levels though still significantly higher than either of them. "I'll speak plainly. I put in John because if your little rabbit over there is as good as you say, then she would be able to handle herself against him. And boy did she ever. I've never seen John take a beating like that, especially as he drew first blood. Now, as for the purse, because I put in such a strong fighter and you have been inconvenienced due to my overkill methods, I will have the house give you ten percent of the winnings to compensate you." Switching his gaze over to the rabbit, he eyed her up and down, noticing the way she was holding herself upright, favorably leaning to one side. "As for your fighter. You said two days recovery. Next fight is in three. If you want to keep a spot in the line-ups you two will be there, fighting shape or not. Don't show up? Don't bother showing up again. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

With that the lion got up from his chair and left the room through a side door onto the catwalks. Quickly the duo scanned the room to see if there had been anything left behind. A scrap of paper, business card, anything that might help. But save for the chair and a flimsy plastic table, the room was completely bare. They didn't have much time though, the door scraping open behind them signaling the end to their night. Following the tiger back down the stairs, the two sent each other knowing looks before descending into the garage, their borrowed car waiting for the 'high-rollers'. Letting his mate curl up in the passenger seat to get some sleep on their way back, he pulled out his burner phone and dialed a number he had memorized just in case of instances like this, though he didn't think it would ever be under these circumstances. On the third ring a sleepy voice answered. "Hey Sundae, it's Nick. Listen, I need some help..."

* * *

Back upstairs, Claw met with two of his associates who oversaw multiple aspects of his operation. A black bear who went by the name 'Maw', many years in age but bringing with him the wisdom of those years and the scars of the battles he has fought throughout oppression in the city. Maw ran most of the normal day to day operations. The other was a red fox, barely halfway into his twenties. Going by the moniker 'Blood', something that made the other two mammals roll their eyes at, he was in charge of the technical aspects of the business, keeping the live streams and online betting systems working properly.

"So what do you think of the new fighter?" While he was solely in charge of all decisions and his word was final, Claw did appreciate receiving feedback from his two associates. Their advice often did sway his opinions, allowing him to view multiple sides of the coin rather than whatever landed upright.

"Impressive skills. Surprised she not only lasted against John but beat him as well. Adaptive techniques." Maw had been around fighters most of his life, whether it was competing such as they did in their business or out on the streets during some of the anti-pred demonstrations. "Very promising. Provided she can heal up quick enough after that beating she took." Claw nodded, finding himself agreeing with his friend.

Blood was of a similar mind though he had some reservations. "Boss, I've done some digging. I can't find any record of a 'Harley Corday' or 'Thunder Corday' or any combination of the names he gave us ever competing in underground leagues." The lion frowned, unsure of what this new development could mean.

"Could they have changed her name in order to try and get back into leagues they may have been banned from?" It was a common trick of some of the better fighters and cheaters alike to find ways around bannings in order to keep winning prize money. Usually it required dying fur or something similar.

"It's possible. I did find a Theodore Faber. He seems to check out so this could be the case. A previous champion needing to find some way back into the competition. I didn't smell any fur dye when she walked past me at the pit so that seems to be her natural color. That or it's set in for quite a while." He paused, unsure how to bring up the next point on his list of things to discuss. "There _was_ something I _did_ smell though that frankly has me a little stumped."

Claw raised his brow. "So I wasn't imagining it then. She's been marked." Blood couldn't help but nod, still a bit unsettled by the implications. "Do you think they're mates?"

"Honestly? I doubt it. Red foxes do mark their mates but that isn't always the case. Some foxes are born without the desire to solidify a relationship to one mammal. They tend to 'play the field' and sleep around, usually tricking a member of the opposite, or sometimes same, sex by empty promises of being mated, even going so far as to mark them. I'd bet my next ten matches of winnings on that being the case here."

"So they're still sleeping together then." Again the red fox seemed unsure.

"Not necessarily. A rabbit isn't likely to sleep with a fox. Their very nature pretty much would make it nearly impossible. If he is as I suspect, he uses his mark to claim property. He most likely marked her to send a message to every other pred here that she's _his_ fighter and to back off. Usually that sort of behavior can make you a pariah among other foxes so it's quite possible he's been unofficially exiled from most fox communities." He had to contain a snarl of his own at the idea of having to work with a mammal such as him. "If you weren't so interested in the duo, Claw, I'd probably lock him in the pit with a few of the better fighters. His kind disgusts me."

Surprised at the venom lacing the fox's voice, Claw simply shrugged. He probably would never understand Vulpine rules or traditions but really he didn't want to. Blood was around because of his technical skills and that was it. Maw was a close friend of the lion but he couldn't care less if the fox was hit by a bus on the way home. "Fights are over for the night. Cash everyone out and get everything loaded. We set up in three days. Maw, you and Fang will be running the show that night."

"Let me guess. Her?" Maw outwardly flinched, already knowing the answer.

"Her."

* * *

Nick wanted nothing more than to see what the car could do in order to get them to the hotel faster but he knew it would be in poor judgment. If he came across a cruiser or a speed trap he would risk getting pulled over and threaten the entire operation. Against his better judgment, he kept his foot steady and the speedometer even. Glancing across to his mate, he grimaced at the idea of the pain she must be in. He was still livid at the ambush Claw and his cronies had arranged for them. Only the threat of his bunny getting hurt even further with the condition she was in kept him from attacking the smug, arrogant lion.

"Hold on, Carrots. We're almost there." Though exhausted, she had been unable to find solace in sleep.

"Nick. It hurts." His eyes welled up at the quiver in her voice. She had never seemed so vulnerable. So small as she did right then. He had to remain strong for her. For them both. He could only pray that they reached the hotel soon so she could get some rest and medical attention. The two of them had been in a lot of scrapes before but even facing down armed mammals and street gangs did not seem as dangerous as this operation to him. He as tempted to call Bogo and tell him they were pulling out but he knew if he and Judy did not agree on it she would be angry and disappointed in him, and that was something he could not bear.

Finally reaching the hotel, Nick parked the car and grabbed the bags. He loaded them onto a trolley cart before heading back for the bunny still curled up on the seat. Gingerly picking her up, he brought her inside to where he had left their luggage at the front desk. Approaching the counter, Nick couldn't help but notice the raised brow of the buck behind the counter. His antlers were grown in but the size told him they were dealing with a younger mammal, probably in his early twenties. Nick thanked whoever was watching over them for small favors as younger generations tended to be more forgiving about interspecies relationships, though Judy's injuries probably raised a few red flags with the deer.

"Reservation for 'Faber'." Keeping it short and to the point, Nick hoped to distract the employee by making him focus on his job rather than the circumstances. It seemed to work, the mammal falling back into his usual routine which he did hundreds of times a week, the muscle memory being almost automatic. Hooves clacking away at the keyboard, the deer seemed intent on getting his job done so he could go back to whatever activity he did in between check-ins. Currently it was using the free hotel wi-fi to watch Netflix.

"Here we are. Two queen beds with Jacuzzi bathtub for seven nights."

"That's us." To alleviate suspicion of their relationship in case anyone tried to investigate their backstory, they had requested two beds rather than one. Queen sizes were still extremely large for the two mammals so they would be able to sleep together, but it would appear they simply were spending the cash for a bit of extra comfort. The Jacuzzi was for Judy. They both had decided it would be a good idea to treat any injuries she might sustain during their assignment, though they didn't figure on needing it this soon.

"Room 513. Elevators are to your right." Sliding two key cards along the counter, Nick grabbed the folder and began to turn around only to pause and rotate back. Taking one of the cards out, he slapped it on the desk.

"There will be a painted bunny doe coming in shortly. Give her this key and the room number." The deer raised his brow again but decided he really didn't need the added drama this might cause him that evening. His shift was nearly over and spending his night filling out a report on this was not all that enticing. Plus, with the way the rabbit hung around his neck as the fox cradled her gently told him enough to know she was in no danger from the vulpine.

Getting into the elevator while dragging the cart behind them, Nick turned in time to see a look of pity etched on the deer's face before the doors closed. He knew Judy would not be happy to have been pitied, but the sight replacing the suspicious curiosity had Nick feeling much better. He wasn't sure how long he could keep his composure though. For her sake he had tried to show no sadness. No dismay. A single tear could cause her to break and that was something neither of them could afford. For now, he let her lay in his arms, comforted by his touch and scent.

Due to how late they had arrived, the floor was thankfully deserted when the doors opened. They couldn't risk suspicious mammals making calls to the police. They would be able to get out of any investigation but it would mean blowing their cover wide open. It was also why they couldn't go to the hospital to treat her injuries. All it would take is one report to the precinct about a doe being brought into the ER by a fox, severely injured. That or a fan of theirs recognizing them through their disguises. All of their work, including Judy being brutally beaten, would be for naught.

Entering their room, Nick immediately crossed to one of the beds and gently laid his mate onto the soft mattress, hoping it would take away some of the pain. It seemed to work as her contorted face calmed, though not by much. Any improvement though was welcomed. He thought about running the Jacuzzi and helping her relax in the hot water and mild jets, but decided against it. He really didn't know how bad her injuries were and didn't want to make things worse.

The wait for their company felt like hours to the tod. Unable to sit still, he paced the floor rapidly, gazing at the rabbit with each turn he made. Eventually though his own exhaustion hit him, the adrenaline from earlier wearing off. He forced himself to be content with sitting next to his bunny, careful not to touch her sides and chest which were the most damaged, though he did slowly stroke her ears trying to get her to focus on his ministrations and not the pain.

A click from the door lock, had him turning his head to the hallway. Because of how the beds were set back, he could not see who was entering the room, though he did not need to. A soft voice called out to them, hesitant to move any further into the room. "Nick? Judy?"

"In here." Nick was unsure if it was his patience or simply his inability to move, but he remained sitting rather than going to meet the doe at the door. As she turned the corner though, her eyes widened in nervousness and fear. Nick was unsure what she was seeing that had set her on edge, but it was a rather different experience that they normally got from Sarah.

"I'm sorry. I must have the wrong room." She started to back out, trying to find the right speed to not startle the older fox and also to leave as fast as possible. It was then that Nick realized what was going on and slapped himself in the head. He had forgotten to explain to Sarah about their dyed fur.

"Sundae, hold on." The nickname, one used by only a handful of mammals, had the mixed doe pulling up short, confusion on her face as she now stared at the two mammals closely.

"Nick?" Nodding with a sad smile, the fox gave her a gentle wave. Normally he would give his sister-in-law a hug in greeting but with her reaction to his disguise and the slight panic he could still hear in her voice, he decided for a simple 'hello' gesture. She returned it out of habit, ridiculous as it may look. "Is that...Judy?" Nick nodded again. Sarah edged a bit closer, trying to see her sister. Having spent a couple years as a black doe herself, Sarah was able to tell that her dye job was done by a professional and it made her even more curious about why the two were looking like that.

"Look Sundae. I know you're confused, and I promise I'll explain everything, but right now Carrots is hurt and we need you to look at her and tell us the extent of her injuries." In a flash, Sarah was crouched by her sister's side on the bed, all hesitation and fear vanishing at the thought of her sister being in trouble.

"By the door is my medical bag, like you requested. Bring it to me." Jumping from the bed, Nick quickly moved to the hallway and grabbed the small black bag resting on the sitting bench next to the door. His drowsiness was gone for the moment, his body overriding the desire to sleep with the focus on his mate and her well being. Sarah began prodding the sleeping bunny, taking note of where she seemed the most sensitive. "Is she unconscious or just asleep?"

"Asleep. She was exhausted and I think it was the only way she could escape the pain." Sarah knew it was a common method to try to alleviate pain by sleeping, however with her there to evaluate the doe's pain and injuries, she was going to need her to wake up. Leaning down to her ear, she spoke softly, trying not to startle the doe.

"Judy. You need to wake up now. I know it hurts but we're going to make you feel better." The most she got was a stir but it was a start. "Nick's worried about you, Judy." That got a stronger reaction from the rabbit, her eyes fluttering but not quite open. Sarah sighed. It was time for a more drastic option though she hated what she was about to do. "Judy. Trisha's holding Nick's paw." This time the effect was immediate. Her eyes snapping open, Judy flung herself onto all fours ready to tackle the bunny trying to take her mate, however her injuries caught up with her and collapsed to the bed, letting out a small 'mew.'

Catching her sister's paw in her own, Sarah leaned down to give her a light kiss on the top of her head. "Sorry, sis. I had to wake you up and I was worried shaking you with your injuries would cause you some more pain. Although leaping up into the air probably wasn't all that helpful either. Now come on." Helping her to sit up, Sarah grabbed her medical bag and started pulling out a few things. Grabbing a bottle of aspirin, she shook two out. "Nick, hand me a bottle of water." They hadn't brought any, but Nick knew where to look as he opened the mini-fridge. He didn't bother looking at the cost since the ZPD was handling everything but he would love to see the accountants faces when they itemized a fifteen dollar bottle of water. Tossing it to the bunny, Sarah quickly opened the cap and handed it to Judy while popping the two tablets into her mouth. "These will help, Jude. There ya go." Judy started to splutter, water flowing from her mouth as she choked. _Poor sis. Probably dehydrated. What have they been doing to themselves?_

Wrapping a stethoscope around her neck, the mixed doe held up a pen light to the other bunny's eyes. _Pupils look fine._ Taking her head in her paws, Sarah rotated it, looking for any sign of deviation in her eyes. _Everything checks out there._ "Congratulations. No concussion. Let's check out those ribs though." Removing the chest armor, Sarah started pressing gently, moving from one rib to the other, gauging Judy's pain reaction. Though moderately uncomfortable and slightly painful, Judy seemed to be handling it well enough, until Sarah's digits landed on the fifth rib. A sharp yelp sprang from the doe, her body scrabbling away as fast as she could manage only to fall into the russet arms of the large fox nearby.

"Carrots. It's okay. Your sister is just trying to help you." Judy buried herself in his chest, trying to hide within the red and cream colored fur. "Can she take a look at you? We need to find out what's wrong inside you." In response, she wrapped her arms around his torso as far as she could reach. She let out a shrill whine but nodded her head while keeping her eyes tightly closed. Motioning for her sister to move closer, Nick began stroking his mate's ears to keep her calm.

Sarah started to redo her examination, taking great care to go very light on her ribs. She had taken some major damage to her upper and side torso. Already she could see bruises forming even under the heavily dyed fur. Whatever she had been involved in had been a serious mistake on her part. Nick looked relatively unharmed so either they were separated or he knew nothing about this because he would never let her sister get hurt like this. "She has six bruised ribs and a bruised sternum. That steel armor she was wearing is pretty much the only thing that kept her chest from being caved in. What the hell were you two doing?!"

Upon hearing the reality of her injuries and how much worse it could have been, Nick slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor. Over and over again he ran through the scenario in his mind. He had been so stupid to let them follow the tiger down to the entrance level for the pit. And forced to watch his mate being beaten while he did nothing. He made the excuse that he was outmatched but he could have found a way, he kept telling himself though he didn't really believe it.

"We're un-under-...cover..." The weak voice and stuttering breath came from the black bunny, now struggling to sit up. Though she looked a bit better, her eyes more alert thanks to the pain medicine, she still showed signs of dehydration and exhaustion. "We were sent in to infiltrate a prey fight club."

"Prey fight club? What on earth is a prey fight club?"

"Can't tell you." Nick looked at her with a serious face. "First rule of prey fight club is don't talk about prey fight club." Judy shot him an exasperated look.

"It's exactly what it sounds like. Prey mammals, all under predator management, fight each other in a league. Prize money given to the winners. Of course, we didn't know we would be going in there and having to have an initiation fight at the get-go and against a special forces soldier." Sarah blanched.

"You're lucky he left you alive!" Unwrapping some ace bandages, the doe began putting them around her sister's chest, tightening them carefully. She wanted her ribs supported, but not pinched.

"Rules are to the first one knocked out. Carrots actually took him down though. Unfortunately he was able to do this to her before she got the upper paw."

"And where were you during all this?" She wasn't trying to sound accusatory, but with her sister incapacitated she couldn't help the slip. She hated how his head drooped downward.

"I was pinned by two of the guy's cronies up against a steel wall, forced to watch as my bunny was attacked just because the head honcho wanted to make a statement." Hearing the mix of sadness and hatred in his tone, Sarah reached out and grasped his paw, giving him a comforting smile. She felt awful about how she spoke to him mere seconds ago, but wasn't sure if apologizing was the right thing to do right then.

"She's gonna need at least a couple weeks to recuperate." Hearing this, Judy shook her head adamantly.

"Not gonna happen. Next fight is in three days. I have to be ready." Sarah's mouth fell open.

"Three _days_? Judy, I don't think you appreciate the severity of your injuries. The next time you go out there, your ribs might not survive the strain and could collapse inward. That could pierce your heart. You need to think about your health, Jude. I can bandage your ribs, I can't put them back together. You should even be at the hospital right now but since you called me to a hotel room while in disguise something tells me you can't. So do me a favor. Don't have me come over if the next thing I have to do is pronounce you dead." Packing up her bag, Sarah started to leave before turning back and coming to give her sister a big hug, though loose enough not to hurt her. "I love you, sis. Please be careful." Looking over at the vulpine, Sarah gave him a hug too. "Protect her, Nick. If you need anything, let me know. I'll be here in a flash." Taking out a prescription bottle with no label, she hesitated before handing it to the tod. "Vicodin. Bunny strength. Give her one capsule to help her sleep, _only_."

Watching her getting ready to leave, Nick suddenly thought of something. "Don't tell Trisha about any of this, okay?" With a dry laugh, Sarah gave them a pointed look.

"How stupid do you think I am?"

* * *

It had been late into the evening before Judy had finally fallen back asleep in Nick's arms. The aspirin her sister had given her was enough to take the edge off so that she could lay somewhat comfortably. It was too early for them to mix in the Vicodin Sarah had left but Nick made a mental note to wake her in a few hours to give her one. After all of the events that day, he found himself unwilling to remove himself from the bed, to let go of his bunny so he could do his job. Listening to her snore, her breaths coming easier than before, he finally convinced himself to slide his arm out from under her still form and sneak from the bed.

Grabbing one of the burner phones from their shed clothing, Nick quietly opened the sliding glass door that led onto the balcony. He wanted to place his call out there for two-fold. One, so he wouldn't wake his mate, and two in case their room was compromised. Seating himself on the provided chair, a plastic one usually used for lawn parties, he propped his feet up on a small side table and placed the call. It rang for several seconds while the fox found himself getting agitated. A sudden click told him someone had picked up the phone.

"Tri-City pizza. My name is Scott, what can I get for ya?" Nick was unable to keep the grin off his face as the voice of a pudgy cheetah came over the line. Deciding on using fake businesses, usually take-out restaurants to fool anyone trying to tap their lines, Clawhauser had been designated the one who would answer the calls. His bubbly personality was a perfect selling point that it was definitely not a serious call out.

"I need to speak to your manager." Speaking in code was something the fox was used to. It happened in many cons to throw off suspicion about certain acts. Now though, as an officer the use of code words and phrases made him feel more like a spy than a conmammal. In this case, 'manager' obviously meant Chief Bogo. He had some choice words for the buffalo. The call was picked up before the first ring had even ended.

"Wilde. Report." Despite the very late hour, the Chief was very alert, having not left his office for hours in case the two officers should call in. The minute Clawhauser had told him Nick was on the line, his whole body visibly relaxed as an audible sigh left him.

"Report? You want our _report?_ " Bogo was surprised by the anger in the vulpine's voice. "Here's a report for you! We went to the place, we had guns pointed at us, managed to bluff our way in, schmoozed the boss, and then Carrots was tossed into a pit and beaten nearly half to death! That's the goddamn report!" Stunned speechless, all the Chief could do was fall back into his chair, his thoughts consumed at the thought of his smallest officer dangerously injured. "My mate is laying in there beat to shit, with a half dozen bruised ribs and sternum, only still alive because of her steel breastplate she was wearing. They put her up against JOHN FUCKING RAMBO as a goddamn test!"

Knowing that to interrupt him would only further anger the fox, the buffalo sat back absorbing all of the information being thrown his way. "Look Chief, I don't think I can do this. They held me down and made me watch as she was beaten and that was them just thinking she was one of my fighters. If they find out who we are they will do far worse. I can't risk that to happen to her." There was a pause on the line, the only sound Bogo could pick up was harsh ragged breaths. "I'll keep us in it only because I know Judy will be upset if I pull the plug, but I'm telling you right now, Chief. The minute I think this is going too far or she is put in further danger, I will pull it and we will be back home before you even get the phone call." Not willing to speak any further, not wanting to hear any of the buffalo's empty promises or motivational crap, Nick ended the call and forced himself to resist chucking it off the balcony.

Feeling the cool air invade his lungs with each deep breath he took, Nick used the time to level his head. Judy needed his support and love, not anger and frustration. Heading back inside, he crawled back into bed and cradled his bunny from behind, taking great care to not put any pressure on her wounds. Wrapping his tail around her, he kissed between her ears and laid his head next to hers. "We'll get this guy, Carrots. No one does that to my bunny." He bared his teeth in a silent snarl, his voice a harsh whisper so quiet that not even the rabbit next to him could hear if she were awake. "No one."


	34. Chapter 38 - When it rains...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So many follows. So many favs. So many reviews! My email keeps blowing up! And thats okay cause it gives me an excuse to stop dealing with work, or the dishes, or something else less important but I'm too lazy to come up with anything...
> 
> Also, if anyone would like to see some of my other works, "Sweet Treatment" (medical OC drama starring Sundae Hopps and Trisha Rose as a couple) will be updated next and my newest 'A Ghostly Love" about 19th century Judith Hopps and a mysterious manor (No not like Haunted Mansion! that stupid ass movie is ruining everything!)
> 
> Disclaimer: So I had planned on going to Disneyworld to try and steal the rights to Zootopia the other day but I found out other friends from Fanfiction were going to be there and I had to abandon my plans. They can never see who I am. No one can know my secret. *Attempts to vault rooftop dramatically. Trips. Bangs shin. Hobbles away whimpering*

Sarah had been right. Three days was not nearly enough time for Judy to heal properly. She was barely able to walk without limping every few steps and her ribs were still extremely tender. Deep breaths sparked flashes of pain across her chest, making her involuntarily wince. Luckily the bruising on top of her foot had healed enough that the pain had faded away, though she would need to be careful to taking a blow there as the flesh was still soft.

She was under no illusions. She knew she wasn't ready to get back into the arena. She wouldn't last a warm-up session with a bag in her current state let alone a bout against a seasoned opponent. However their one and only shot at infiltrating the league took place in under ten hours and Judy was dead set on making it to the next location, a recycling plant currently under remodel in Sahara Square. Her only obstacle, besides the aching bones and screaming muscles, was a four foot tall mesh of russet fur and emerald eyes.

"We're not going, Carrots." Judy couldn't help but roll her eyes. They had spent the better part of the last two days arguing about continuing the investigation. Nick had made a few valid points, she had to admit. He felt that the league wasn't a big enough problem to warrant a full undercover investigation for standard illegal fighting and gambling which she had to agree with. The assignment seemed a tad overblown for something as simple as it seemed, though Judy's assessment stemmed from an analytical viewpoint whereas Nick's was solely focused on his mate's safety.

"Nick, we've been over this. We have a job to do and tonight is our only guarantee we'll be able to get our foot in the door." Sitting on the bed, Judy pulled on the leg braces Sarah had provided her to help support her walking. It made her able to feign walking properly though not without considerable discomfort and pain. Her sister had told her they were for helping her heal only, but she wasn't going to let her first undercover mission end on a savage beat down where she could instead get close enough to hopefully serve up Claw on a silver platter. She also strapped on the chest protector and padding Sarah had given her, designed to keep her ribs in place to make breathing easier. All of this went on under her neoprene combat uniform where she then strapped on her gauntlets and other armor pieces. They had saved her hide in the first match and she wasn't going to go without them this time.

Nick threw up his paws in exasperation. "Can't we just call in a raid to break this whole thing up? What's stopping us from doing that? We know where it is. We have enough evidence to bring these guys in." Leaning down next to the chair she was currently sitting in, he locked eyes with hers. "I can't watch you go through that. Not again. I won't lose my mate to some stupid case that means practically nothing to the outside world."

Touched by his concern, her gray paw reached up and caressed his russet cheek, dragging her digits through his fur making his eyes close and a low purr emanate from his throat. "Sweetie, I'm not gonna pretend this is all chocolate and rainbows. It could get dangerous, we both know that. But if I think I can't handle the fight, I just won't do it. I'm not foolish enough to get myself killed just to add a few years to the bastard's sentence." Her face, which had been gazing at him lovingly, suddenly turned pensive. "I can't help but think something else is going on though. Southpaw spent six weeks in there. If there was only this illegal ring to breakup, why not do so then? Especially after cover had been blown."

"You think there's something he kept out of his report?" Nick was busying himself with putting on his black suit. He couldn't stop her from leaving but he'd be damned if she was going alone. They also had their cover to keep so regardless of his personal feelings, he wrapped the tie around his neck and cinched it tight, the businessmammal look complete.

"Honestly? I really don't know." She made a face at the recollection of their dealings with the coyote. "I mean he's a speciest and a jackass but from what I read in his file he's a competent officer and one of the better undercover cops in the ZPD. He's also straight as an arrow according to IA-"

"Wait. You got into his IA folder?" Nick was a little rocked by her admission of getting access to sealed reports. "That could get you suspended, Carrots."

His bunny merely shrugged, unconcerned by the implications. "I wanted to look into him to make sure we were going into this forewarned. Besides, I didn't get into anything. Holton owed me a favor so it was easy to get a copy." Holton was a hippopotamus that worked in ZPD archives. He had access to every file that had ever gone through the system. All the way from jaywalking reports to sealed IA files on even the Chief himself. Everything save for the Black records, those files deemed by the Chief Justice, the mayoral office and the acting head of the ZPD to be too dangerous to release to public eyes. "Best I could find is that he's clean, so either he's under orders not to reveal more information, which personally I think Bogo would have provided to us, or he's gone rogue which is unlikely, or he simply didn't make enough progress to learn anything worthwhile."

Standing and testing her maneuverability, doing a few warm up stretches, she found she could move fairly well but trying to increase her speed proved problematic. She would probably be able to land a few punches, maybe a strong kick before her body decided to give out and would be helpless against her opponent, but she failed to see any other way to get in deeper. "Let's get going, Nick. We need to be on time or the whole thing will have been a wash."

She wasn't surprised that Nick stood in her way, one last desperate plea on his lips. "Carrots. I don't want you to go through that again. And hurting this bad? Don't try to deny it," he quickly said, watching her open her mouth to protest, "I can see the pain in your eyes whenever you move. You're compromised, you're going to get yourself hurt, and you're not even listening to me, are you?"

"Not really. But it's cute how much you want to protect me." Giving him a quick hug and hauling him down for a kiss to the cheek, she straightened her outfit, smoothing the bunches around her braces as much as possible. "C'mon Slick. We have a schedule to keep." Not wanting to disappoint his mate, the tod followed along, though not without letting forth a stream of grumbles of protest.

* * *

"Name?" The reception at the newest fight location was a lot more pleasant than the last. As they had rolled up, they had found themselves blocked by a guard gate with a lowered draw arm. With the last location being an abandoned building, security had been much more flamboyant, mammals running around with automatic weapons tossing around threats of death. Now, being in a plant simply being remodeled, the security was actually organized and much less chaotic.

"The name's Faber. Theo Faber." Nick let out a toothy grin, trying his best to appear as cool as he felt with his new shades. While he was worried about his bunny's well-being, he couldn't help but feel a certain thrill about walking into a hostile situation, playing the role of a bored millionaire who spends his days managing underground fighters.

Scanning the list, the hyena glanced up at him from behind his own shades. "List says the name is 'Aaron.'" Nick made an effort to appear overly dramatic.

"He remembered! You hear that, Harley?" He turned to look at the black rabbit beside him who looked genuinely annoyed at his antics. "Ol' Claw remembered my name." With a raised brow at the mention of the boss's name which almost no one actually knew, the hyena crossed the name off the list and raised the bar. The fox and rabbit drove into the parking lot of the large plant in front of them. There was no hidden garage for the cars as a storage hanger directly to the left had it's sliding doors wide open, showing a multitude of vehicles they recognized from the last event along with multiple new ones.

Getting out of the vehicle, Judy had to work hard to conceal a flash of pain from showing on her face. She needed to appear strong, fearing that any sort of weakness could be enough to remove them from the league or give any opponents she might face hints on how to beat her. Nick for his part had to restrain himself from rushing to his mate's side as her knee subtly shook. It would not be noticeable to anyone who was not close by, but his sudden movement would be suspicious and the last thing they needed was to bring attention to themselves.

The duo made their way down the connecting hall from the hanger to the main processing floor. It was along that passage that the two officers noticed the security that had been noticeably absent from the last fight. Multiple mammals were stationed at every other entrance door, automatic rifles in paw. _This much firepower, there's no way this is just a fighting league,_ Nick thought to himself, careful not to show any outward sign of his suspicions, though he could tell Judy was thinking much the same as her eyes darted from armed guard to armed guard, all different species yet all predators.

Eventually they reached the door to the inside of the plant where this time it was a coyote that held the door open for them. Normally that level of hospitality was shown only for the high rollers who wagered an obscene amount of money on the fights, managers and fighters having to enter from the side entrances. However, new fighters were also led through the main crowd, giving those with money a chance at seeing the new blood. Because of her injury, the overseer had been running her fight with John Rambo on some of the monitors as she entered to sway their opinions on the slow moving doe.

Seeing the many pairs of eyes focused on her, Judy attempted to stand as tall and as steady as possible. Still favoring her right side due to a pinched nerve in her calf, she tried to hide it as best she could. Thankfully she was spared from being ogled when they were directed up to the overseer's office. Nick had to assist her several times up the steep stairs, trying to be as discrete as possible. Though they were silent, Nick could still feel the bunny let out several gasps of pain.

Finally reaching the door, they were unsurprised to see their least favorite striped feline waiting for them. Nick had to control the urge to snarl at the cat that had forced his mate into a steel prison to get beaten while making him watch. He wanted to carve the smug sneer off his face and rip his throat out, but he would keep those thoughts to his imagination until his next training session with the bag.

The door swinging wide, the tod and doe entered expecting to see the fluffed mane of the mammal in charge. Instead they were greeted by an enormous black bear, sitting behind a desk, most likely the plant manager's. He looked up from the documents and files in front of him, putting his full attention on the two mammals in front of him.

"Well, well, well. The 'Thunder' returns." Judy shot Nick a glowering look, annoyed more than ever at the terrible nickname idea he had come up with, however the fox was sporting a large smirk and seemed quite pleased with himself. "I'll get right down to it as I am a bear of little patience and zero care for the dramatic. Corday, this was a test to see if you had the guts and the will to see this through. We're not going to put you into a fight this soon as an injured combatant doesn't bring enough revenue. You have a week to heal up. If you can't perform by then you don't need to bother ever showing up to our doorstep again. Now, you're welcome to stay and watch the matches or you can head to wherever it is you call home and rest up. Mr. Faber however, you will stay. I have need of you for the moment."

Casting her fox a hesitant glance, her instincts going haywire at the thought of him being in trouble, she was relieved to see a discrete wink sent her way. She didn't want to leave him but their cover needed to be maintained and for now she was a fighter put on injured leave. She would have no interest in what her manager had to deal and so she must act the part.

Watching his doe leave, Nick had a difficult time keeping himself from immediately following. He knew that if his protective instincts were this bad, it was a miracle she could stand let alone walk away. Her strength always amazed him, both in spirit and body, but to see her accomplishing this when she must be under such strain made him so proud of his mate. All too soon however, as the door closed behind her and he realized he was still in the office with a predator five times his mass, the reality of the situation came crashing down on his head.

"Mr. Faber, we are in a bit of a predicament. One that you could help alleviate." Putting on a cocky grin, one of a mammal used to be held in high importance and always being sought, Nick had a hard time containing both his glee at learning some potentially useful info and his fears that it could cause some major problems with their investigation.

"Whatever you need, I'm your mammal. I've got connections everywhere. Drugs? Money laundering? Females? Or males, too. I'm not one to judge, Maw. Your secret is safe with me," Nick finished with a wink and a toothy grin.

Clapping a paw to his face, the bar let out a muffled sigh. _God. Claw was right. This guy is fucking annoying._ "Mr. Faber, we are not interested in any of that. One of our managers will no longer be working with us and this has left a gap in our league's system."

"Gap huh? Well I suppose I could check around, see if any of my old gym crews are still operating and get you a new guy. What happened to the old one anyway? He move or something?"

"Or something," the bear snarled, signaling the end of that conversation. "I don't need another manager. I'm assigning his two fighters to you for the immediate future."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. This ain't what we signed up for. I'm here representing Harley and that's it. I'm not interested in picking up the slack from some bum manager who ain't even around anymore and babysit his weak links." Nick's bravado lasted as long as it took for the bear to stand and reach his full height.

"Faber. We're not asking. We're _informing_ you that you _will_ be taking on these two along with Harley. Don't like it? Then take your rabbit and get out. Otherwise," he slid a pair of manila folders to the edge of the table, "take these and get the hell out of my office."

Wrestling with his desire to sucker punch the bear and slap a pair of cuffs on him, Nick swept up the two files and left, grumbling loudly. _This assignment is a bigger pain in the ass than Wolford's ghost pepper chili._ Exiting the door, he stopped at the top of the staircase and opened each file to see what he would have to be working with. The first mammal, a large male gray squirrel, seemed to be alright. Impressive stats and fighting record with a memo note about being a bit submissive to his trainers but tended to avoid managers as much as possible. They could work with that whenever they needed time to do some sneaking around to get any intel they could on the league. Satisfied, he switched to the second folder and opened it. His eyes grew wide and his stare threatened to burn a hole through the photo. _Oh crap. Carrots is soooo not gonna like this._

* * *

Leaving her fox to fend for himself, Judy headed back down the staircase to the middle floor where most of the betting was taking place. She needed to take it slow and use the railing more than she would like, but with only a week until her next fight, she needed the least amount of strain on her body as possible and right now that meant trading a bit of her pride for safety.

Reaching the mid-floor, she wandered around trying to see if there was any useful information she could overhear or observe from the betting mammals. After a few minutes however, she had to admit defeat. The only thing the high rollers discussed were the betting odds each fight had and complaints from more than a few that fights had to be rigged in some way. She scoffed at that last part, feeling the bruised ribs beneath her vest that caused her to wince with each breath she drew. She determined that if she was to learn anything, it would most likely be the fighters themselves. Prey tended to interact with each other better than predators so she had a feeling it would be more to her benefit to seek out the others.

Heading down to the basement level, just one floor beneath the improvised ring, Judy took note of each storage room she passed, noticing the miniature gyms that had been arranged inside. She paused by one door watching as a goat pummeled a punching bag hanging from the support beams. His speed was rather impressive for a goat, but it was the power behind each hoof strike that gave her some trepidation. Taking down a rhino that had ZPD training was much different than dealing with seasoned fighters who trained their bodies beyond the limit. If there was anything her fight with the ram had taught her, it was that she was not invincible and definitely not the top of the food chain when it came to fighting. If she had not gotten lucky, they wouldn't even be here at all.

Several attempts to engage the other fighters, even one of the few bunnies, led nowhere. It appeared that everyone kept to a strict training regimen and any attempt at conversation was met with suspicion, most likely fueled by a distrust at the motives of other mammals to elicit sympathy or soften towards a future opponent. As such, little to no info was gained by traveling through the fighters pit, other than scoping out the competition, most of whom seemed on par if not better than herself.

After watching several of her potential opponents, noting their strength and speed at the bags, she eventually broke away, deciding that if no one was going to talk to her that she may as well do a bit of exploring. She didn't expect to really find anything as they had only occupied the factory for a couple of days but the saying of 'leave no stone unturned' applied to every investigation. Taking a corridor in the far right of the training room, Judy kept her eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary, but unfortunately everything seemed to be exactly what it was supposed to be. Removed walls showed exposed pipes and electrical cords while small scaffolds were scattered throughout the halls to work on the ceilings. It was until she had turned down the third corridor that something interesting happened.

A wolf, who she quickly realized was one of the ones who held Nick back during her fight, exited from a side door halfway up the hall. She ducked behind one of the scaffolds, peering between the bars to observe him as best she could without being seen. The canine glanced up and down the hallways, making sure the coast was clear before turning back and pulling out a padlock. Slipping it through the latch on the door, the metal made a distinctive 'click' that echoed down the hallway. Once again scanning the hallway, Judy ducked low, letting the wolf move off. Luckily he headed the opposite direction or she would have been easily found out.

Waiting a full minute in the shadows, Judy eventually felt the coast was clear enough to move further down the hall to the room now padlocked shut. Giving another quick glance further along, straining her ears for any sounds, she was satisfied that she was alone. Examining the lock, she let out a snort. _As much as these guys make they could do with a better lock._ Glancing around she saw a metal shim on the floor along with a small section of steel piping. Inserting the shim into the bar, she twisted and hauled down tightly, straining her muscles against the solid metal. With the pipe, she smacked it several times before the claw popped loose and the padlock opened. _Sometimes it pays to have an ex-conmammal as a mate_ , she thought with a sly smile. Once again checking to see if her actions had been heard and satisfied that she was still alone, Judy opened the door and slipped inside.

Instantly she realized her mistake. There was not a shred of light anywhere beyond the door, leaving her completely blind. She would normally rely on her hearing in a situation like that, but all that she could detect was a low hissing sound coming from all around her. She was worried it might be gas and quickly held her breath before remembering the wolf came out without a mask. Still she took some precaution, letting herself inhale only a small amount of the air through her nose to detect any contaminants that might be floating in the air. Not feeling any sort of lethargy or sickness overtaking her, she was satisfied she was in the clear and took a few steps forward only for lights to start flickering on. _Must be a motion sensor switch,_ she surmised. As the overhead lights clicked on traveling along the room, Judy's paws slapped to her mouth to muffle a shocked cry.

* * *

Heading down to the assigned training areas, Nick couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at what he was being asked to do. The case was becoming far more complicated than they had anticipated, what with Judy becoming injured and now being saddled with two new fighters who weren't in on the operation. If they didn't have the hotel room to fall back to, Nick would pull the plug immediately, finding it far too constricting to get anything figured without blowing unease deepened as he moved down the stairways into the training areas.

Nearly every mammal that viewed him either eyed him as a potential victim or analyzed as someone who might be worthwhile as a manager replacement. What was really disturbing was how insanely built some of the mammals were. The sight of a ewe nearly the same size as Dawn Bellweather putting her hoof through a punching bag had him shuddering at the thought of being stuck in the ring with her. Most of the mammals in fact were smaller than him and, even with his muscle mass and training, he doubted he would last five minutes against any of them. He was very worried for his bunny.

Catching sight of his newest recruit, Nick made his way over to the far side of the makeshift gym. Observing the large gray squirrel backflipping while assaulting a stationary training torso, he had to admit it was an impressive sight. He knew squirrels were normally agile but this one seemed to have advanced far beyond what was considered 'normal' for his species. Launching himself off the wall, he struck the soft neck with his left foot before spinning and striking the head with his right. Nick had to force himself to keep from grabbing his throat from sympathy pain between him and the training body.

Stepping up behind the mammal to get his attention, the fox cleared his throat causing the squirrel to stop his training and spin to face the predator. Giving him a large smile with all his teeth flashing, he was a little surprised to see no sign of fear or even a wince come from the small prey. "So. Rocky. Looks like I'm your new manager for the time being."

'Name's Rocket, jackass," the squirrel snapped, undoing the wraps on his paws. A little taken aback by the harsh attitude, Nick flicked open the file, noting that his name had been put down as 'Rocky' with 'Rocket' as his arena name. Inwardly shrugging, the vulpine figured he might as well play along, keep his fighter happy. "Why do I have a new manager? Where's Paul?"

"Honestly I couldn't tell ya, kid. Maw just handed me your file and said your old manager was no longer working for the league and that I'd be taking over for the moment." At the mention that his old manager was done working, Rocket winced. He knew what that meant even if the new fox didn't. "So. What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses?"

Eyeing him as if he had a few screws loose, Rocket simply shook his head. "I need a manager. Someone to hype up my skill to the audience. Not a trainer. And I certainly ain't gonna tell you my weaknesses. A shifty fox you may be, but I'm not some dumb rodent." Holding up his paws in mock surrender, Nick backed off leaving the squirrel to his training session. He still had one more to contact and he was not looking forward to this at all.

Making his way back across the room, he stopped in the center, turning slowly to catch sight of his target. He thought he caught a few flashes of the mammal but while the fur color was right it was often the wrong species. Eventually a small patch of gray sticking out from behind a punching bag gave him a feeling that this was most likely who he was looking for. Hesitant on his approach, Nick wished for a way to reverse time so that they would never have shown up in the first place. To keep cover though, he had to stick to the script and pray that Judy would be able to handle it.

Reaching the door frame, he casually leaned up against it as he watched the mammal remove their paw pads before grabbing a water bottle and taking a long drink before dumping it over their head. "So. I'm Theo Faber. I guess I'm your new manager."

The gray doe turned, showing tall ears and deep green eyes. He couldn't help but shiver as her eyes traveled over his form as if he were a piece of meat. Holding out her paw, she waited for him to take it. "I'm Jade. Nice to meet you, Theo."

* * *

Temporarily blinded by even the low amount of light that shone over the room, Judy rapidly blinked to clear her eyes, hoping that the brief flash of the room she had seen was just a horrible product of her imagination. But as the spots swimming before her eyes slowly faded, the blurred outlines cleared and became solid, much to her chagrin. Rows of cages lay within the staggeringly large room. Attempting to count them, she had reached well over sixty before the rows entered areas where the lights were either flickering or simply dead, the corners pitch black. _If only Nick were here._

Moving as silently as she could, the rabbit officer kept her paws light and her motions slow so as not to raise an alarm. Coming within view of the first row of cages, it became clear that needn't have bothered. Within each steel contraption lay a wounded or exhausted looking prey mammal. Everything from chipmunks to zebras were stored inside square boxes made of steel blocks and bars designed for their specific sizes. Some were unconscious or sleeping while others simply looked as if they had given up all hope on life, that theirs was over and it was only a moment until the Reaper came for them.

Looking over all of their faces trapped behind bars she had a flashback to the night she and Nick had found the missing mammals. The dark lighting and mysterious faces caused a shiver to reverberate through her, reminding her that even though all she had seen was injured and depressed prey, that did not mean there wasn't a group of fresh and angry predators around the corner, or even another prey like John Rambo.

A few mammals lifted their heads or opened their eyes at her passing yet deigned not to ask any questions or plead to be released. Their cries had gone unanswered for so long they had all but given up. Rounding another corner, Judy found herself facing an immense roll-up door, complete with a metal plate at the bottom. Glancing around and seeing several more doors and a collection of fork lifts nearby, Judy got one of the answers she had been searching. How did they get all of the mammals in the room? It was a loading dock, filled with machinery to easily haul them in and out of tractor trailers for easy and hidden transport. It also explained the hissing sound. She could not see it in the low light but there must be several rows of small air ducts near the ceiling for removing and replacing air in the bay.

While trying to think of way to make that work to her advantage, she heard someone let out a muffled sniffle, as if they had been trying to suppress any sound. Whipping around in a defense stance, Judy was met with an image of a teenage kudu girl, her eyes wide with fear at the bunny's movements, afraid she was going to be attacked. Quickly Judy relaxed and approached the cage door. "Hey, hon. Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you." Examining the cage for any sort of locking mechanism or gap for a door, she as dismayed to find everything was in one piece. _How do they get them in there? Or out for that matter?_ "What's your name?"

Wary of the new mammal who was the first prey she had seen outside of a cage, the young kudu took her attempts at studying the cage as a chance she was there to help. "B-Bethany. My name is Bethany." Sending her a warm smile, the rabbit kept running her paws over the metal, trying to find any sort of give or crack.

"Nice to meet you, Bethany. You know, I have a sister named Bethany. She's into ice skating. You much into ice skating, Bethany?" Trying to keep the girl talking, to calm her panicked state while she worked on the cage, Judy brought up some old memories for the teenager to focus on.

"Well, I've been a few times." A fond look came over her face, her eyes showing a glint of a happy memory within. "My parents took us when I was nine. And Roger-" she cut off at that name, a fierce blush coming over her cheeks.

"Oh ho," Judy teased, a smirk and a raised brow making their way towards the girl. "Do you have a boyfriend, Bethany?" With another fierce blush and a smile that would not stay contained, the rabbit chuckled a but. "I'll take that as a yes." Frustrated by her inability to find any way to open the cage, she began gazing over at the fork trucks before easily dismissing the idea. While she may be able to get the doors open, may even get the fork truck running and one of the mammals loaded, the sound would have altered half the security and she would most likely end up in a cage herself.

"You cannot save us, little rabbit." The new voice, deep and old, cut through the silence between her and Bethany's conversation. Turning she found an aged pronghorn staring at her, gray fur streaked across most of his body. One of his antlers had been broken off, leaving a very sharp point. "You should leave before you end up in our nightmare."

"What is happening here? Why are you caged up?" A grim chuckle came from the herbivore, something Judy raised a brow at. Though they had been quiet, the sound of the pronghorn's laugh echoed across several of the cages causing several mammals to start rousing themselves and taking a sitting position. _Oh crap._ Immediately questions came from all sides, each one louder than the last causing her to cover her ears and praying the guards could not hear the noise.

"Who's there?  
"Have you come to rescue us?"  
"Get us out of here!"  
"Hurry, before they come back!"  
"Please. I don't want to have to kill anymore."

That last one gave the rabbit pause, ceasing her attempts to quiet the rest. Hopping over to a young buck, his antlers narrow but sharply tipped, she started to ask him what he meant but stopped at the sight of him. Covered in scars across his face and upper chest, it gave him a deadly appearance. "What did you mean? When you said that you didn't want to kill anymore?" The buck's head bowed and she gasped at the sight of dried blood covering the points of his antlers.

"None of us want to fight, little rabbit. We were all taken from one place or another. Some of us have families, some are from the streets. Where we were from did not matter, nor who or what we are, only that we are prey." Sighing heavily, the mammal forced himself to continue. "While fighters like you compete for money and prestige in this... _league_ of theirs, we fight to survive. They sell our _deaths_ ," the word spat like venom from his teeth, "to those monsters above. Late at night after you all have gone home, we're thrown into the pit and forced to kill each other."

Judy clapped a paw to her mouth, attempting to stifle a scream of horror. Looking around, she watched as more mammals roused themselves. A buck with a torn ear. A squirrel missing nearly all of her tail. There was even an armadillo curled up in the corner, blood smeared and dried all over his mouth. "We've all done things we're not proud of, miss." Gazing back at the pronghorn with tears in her eyes, Judy grasped hold of his hoof through the bars.

"I'll get you all out. I swear it." Though his voice had been flat and somewhat cold, the warmth in his eyes betrayed the dead interior persona he portrayed.

"That's a very nice sentiment, miss. But these cages lock at the top and require two fully grown grizzlies to lift the top off of the bars. I'm afraid a small rabbit such as yourself could not possibly hope to rescue us." While there were many things the drove Judy Hopps to succeed, one of the biggest ones was about proving others wrong. Being told she couldn't do something all but solidified her goal to find a way to succeed.

"Oh I'll get you out. Don't you worry about that." A sobering though swept over her, dampening her mood. "Whe-when do you fight?"

"Every night you do. They spend an hour pitting us against one another at random and then we're packed up and shipped off to the next place." Judy paled at that. _It's too soon. I can't get a squad organized in time. They'll be gone before they get here and some will still be dead._ Seeing the warring emotions on her face, the pronghorn's face dropped. "You can't get us out, young one."

"No, no," she tried to reassure him and the rest of the caged prey. "I can get you out...I just...need time." With loud groans and soft crying most of the mammals sank back to the floor of their prisons. "No! I _will_ get you free. There's just no way to do it tonight. You'd be gone before I could even get the whole thing started."

Further down the rows near the doorway, another rabbit stuck his ears up and twisted them towards the door. "Hey bunny! They're coming back. You better split."

Turning back around, Judy clasped her paw around the pronghorn's hoof again. "I'll be back for all of you, okay? I promise." Facing the young kudu, she made sure her eyes met the frightened girl's. "I promise." Though her eyes were still tearing up, the girl nodded, trusting in the small rabbit. Darting away as fast as her injuries would allow, Judy slipped out the door and replaced the lock before quickly heading back to the training area.

* * *

Nick was having a bit of trouble with his newest recruits put under his management. Rocket, who had shown he was capable of great agility and speed along with an impressive hit strength, tended to fight Nick on just about everything. From wanting to see him in action to determine betting odds to refuting the betting odds he was able to come up with. The kid, for he was a kid Nick thought, barely eighteen yet so sure of himself in the world that he was determined to go it alone. Prestige and riches would be his and a _fox_ wasn't going to mess it up for him. Nick couldn't help but shake his head at the ridiculousness of the small mammal. Quick he may be, but there is always someone better. Nick hoped that a mammal came along soon to knock the arrogant prick down a few notches.

The other paw was filled with a whole different problem in the form of a clingy gray rabbit. Jade, who appeared to be a very skilled fighter at the bag, also seemed to be interested in the fox who she had been assigned to. Nick was constantly finding her following him around, trying to get a bit too close when she would show him her techniques. She'd brushed her paw up against him one too many times for it to be accidental and he tried to ask her to stop to no avail. Even telling her he was mated did little to stop her advances. To bunnies, mating was a different matter entirely than to foxes and she apparently had set her sights on him. It was the worst possible outcome, Nick knew. With Jade being so insistent, he knew that as soon as Judy reached their little group, something was going to explode.

And as if the heavens heard him and decided that now was the perfect time to decide 'Hey, let's fuck up Nick Wilde's day even more', Judy emerged from the hallway entrance in the corner of the training area. Spotting her mate, she raised her paw and began heading towards him only to see two paws reach up and wrap around his arm. Catching sight of his bunny just as the gray paws grabbed him, he stiffened in fear, both of what was going to happen to the doe beside him and what his doe might do to _him_.

"What's wrong, Theo?" Jade may have been acting on normal rabbit desires and drive but she had no idea the depth of the trouble she was now floundering in. Quickly looking around, he spotted Rocket nearby. Shoving Jade away, eliciting a cry from her in surprise, Nick grabbed the squirrel and dragged him over in place of where she had just been.

Pushing through the throng of sparring mammals, Judy had her eyes focused on where she had last seen her mate and whoever it was that owned the mysterious paws on HER FOX. Finally getting through the last group, knocking over a large deer who was surprised at being tossed to the ground by a rabbit, the doe came face to face with...a male squirrel. Currently putting the tod in a headlock. "Yep, Rocket. That's gonna work out well in the arena. Good demonstration." Repeatedly tapping the mammal's arm, signaling a surrender, the rodent eventually let go before muttering a few choice words under his breath about what would happen if the fox grabbed him again.

"Hey Harley! Have a productive walk?" Nick had figured Judy would not be able to learn much from the other fighters. They were here for themselves and most likely knew very little of the operations going on. Having witnessed her coming from one of the plant hallways, he hoped she had found something more worthwhile than the dead-ends he was stuck with.

"Yeah but we'll talk later. Who's the squirrel?" Nick was quite the smooth talker, able to worm his way into anything, hence why they were even part of the league in the first place. He seemed to have lost that charm however with the overly buff prey.

"Oh. That. Seems that one of the managers skipped town, maybe dead I don't know, and I got saddled with his two fighters. I know what you're going to say, Harley," he stopped her mid protest with a raised paw, "but we were out if I refused. Figured we still needed to find out what's happening here."

"Yeah, and I found something really-..." Nick had been keeping an eye out for the other doe to make sure he could keep the two of them from meeting for as long as possible and had not been focused on his rabbit's face. Hearing her trail off, he quickly looked down to see if she was alright, but what he saw made him cringe. Much like the first time in the pit all that time ago, and every time Judy lost control since then, her eyes seemed to glow with a hidden fire.

"Fluff?"

"I can smell her." The vulpine winced at the words as his bunny reached her full height, sniffing every inch of his clothing and fur. "She's everywhere." Her voice was punctuated with low growls coming from her throat, her instincts demanding the other be beaten, perhaps killed to defend her mate from a challenger. The scent telling her she was very fertile also increased her rage as an image of Nick abandoning her for the one with better chances at offspring flashed across her eyes.

She had become completely primal with the threat of another bunny moving in on her mate and was losing all sense of rational thought. "Carrots." The whispered words in her ear went ignored as her nose picked up the scent of the doe who was standing less than twenty feet away, observing the curious rabbit. "Carrots, calm down." All his words were was noise to the rabbit who was now no longer able to understand the world around her, only that there was a threat in front if her that needed to be dealt with.

Realizing how far she had sunk this time, Nick wrapped her up in his arms and tore off towards the hallway at the end of the arena. Several looks were thrown their way at the strangeness of their actions, never having seen a fox clutching a bunny to their chest and high tailing it. He ignored them, his only concern at the moment was getting Judy as far away from the other rabbit as possible. Not only was he afraid she would attack her but the way she was acting she might even kill the doe in her current state. She also was still injured which meant she could get seriously hurt in the process.

Speeding down the hall, Nick kept his eyes peeled for any sort of room or doorway he could hide her in until she came back under control. He silently cursed as one hallway after another seemed devoid of any side rooms. The only door they had found was padlocked shut. All the while Judy was straining against him, her hindpaws pressing hard against his chest. It took two more corridors before he finally found a door. Yanking it open, he dove inside.

It wasn't much, mostly storage , but there were two large desks in there which would help them hide if anyone came looking for them. Unfortunately for Nick, Judy had a much different plan in mind. Leaping from his chest, the gray rabbit who lay hidden beneath a layer of inky blackness, landed on the nearest desk and began struggling to rip the neoprene from her hips. _Oh crap, not this again._ Nick knew what was going to happen but this was definitely not the time or place.

She let out a few high pitched squeaks as her claws were unable to pierce the strong material. Rolling around on the table, the bunny was growing very frustrated and angry. Nick moved forward and pushed one paw down on her chest while gazing down at her. "You need this, don't you, Fluff?"

His only answer came in the form of a whine. Sighing but giving her a smile nonetheless, Nick grasped her pants with a paw and slid them completely off along with her panties in one smooth motion. Immediately Judy flipped around, standing on all four paws and wiggling her tail. There was no playful smirk, no witty banter. This was a mammal consumed by their instincts and Nick knew the only way to bring her back was to give her what she needed.

Unbuckling his trousers, he stepped in close to the bunny before running his paw along her folds to see if she was ready. Slipping his hard shaft from his boxers, he dragged it up and down her slit, slickening it before positioning it at her entrance. "If we get caught I'm telling Bogo it was your fault," he joked. Impatient with the delays, Judy let out a growl and bucked her hips back, impaling herself completely on him causing the fox to moan in response. "This is totally not fair, Carrots. Using me like this. You just want me for my body," he teased, all the while matching her movements with his own as her squeaks echoed throughout the small room.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes, dark green in shade, was watching them through the crack of the open door. Eyes that stared hard at the red fox with a mix of hunger and greed.

* * *

"So what was it you wanted to tell me that was so important?" After Judy had finally calmed down enough to revert back to her normal self, the pair had decided that finding another way out of the plant would be the best course of action. They might be able to explain why he had needed to race off with the bunny in his arms, but with the amount of predators in that part of the building there was no way they could hide the scent of their mating.

"Oh. Yes. That." Judy was suddenly ashamed. Having been lost to her own primal instincts, trapped within herself and the possessiveness that had overtaken her, Judy had all but forgotten the mammals locked up in cages awaiting their deaths for the amusement of a few wealthy and deranged individuals. "That's probably better saved for once we reach the car." Nick raised his brow at the doe, but said nothing.

Being unfamiliar with the layout of the building, the two found themselves wandering down half finished hallways and through cluttered offices. They did find a break room where Judy had to scold Nick for stopping and trying the vending machines in the hope that one of them was still working. After fifteen minutes of aimless wandering, Nick decided to bring up the issue of what had just occurred.

"Carrots, I'm sorry about the doe." He watched as she scowled at the memory of the other rabbit. How the gray fur had taunted her. "I wanted to talk to you about Maw assigning me two other recruits but before I could find you she was hanging off of m-"

"She was _on you?!_ " Nick's shoulders slumped while a sigh escaped his lips. _Way to go, Wilde._

"It's over, Carrots. Okay? We're alone out here. It's just you and me. We just handled your possessiveness back there in the supply closet." Noticing a sign mentioning an exit up ahead and to the right, Nick had them turn the corner before glancing back to his mate. "If you really need another demonstration of my loyalty to you and to work off a bit more of your possessive nature, we can do so at the hotel." Giving her a sly wink, he couldn't keep the smirk off his face at the way her ears blushed bright red, even through the dye.

The end of the hallway revealed a stairwell that would normally take them to the employee parking area, but that part of the building closed off, the doors wouldn't open. Thankfully, as they were on the ground level, their exit door was under no such restrictions. Carefully checking to see if the panic bar was attached to any alarms or security monitoring, Nick cracked the door to see if there was anything directly outside of their position. Pulling out his phone, he switched the camera view and poked it above the door as much as he could, utilizing the device as a makeshift periscope. "Alright, coast is clear."

Making their way quickly from the side parking lot entrance, the two dashed to where they had originally entered the building, slipping between shadows as often as possible. It wouldn't do to be caught by security so far away from the event, especially now that Judy knew they had something to hide. Once they had gotten close enough, the two began a casual walk out in the open, looking as if the two mammals were simply headed out. Since neither had any matches currently, their early departure wouldn't be considered suspicious.

It was when they got back to the car that Judy was forced to recall the horror of what she had discovered. Nick listened patiently, seeming to absorb the information without much feeling, yet Judy could hear the grinding of his teeth and see his grip on the wheel becoming almost painfully tight. He had remained silent for nearly all of the time she had been talking but when she reached the point about promising to rescue them he found his voice.

"Why didn't you tell me all this back at the plant? We could have saved them, Carrots!" Knowing this would be his exact reaction since it had been her own immediate thought at finding the caged mammals, she sighed while trying to calm the vulpine.

"No we couldn't, Nick. We'd have been able to open one cage using the fork truck, maybe two, before being discovered. I know you're good at cover stories, but there isn't a single one that would have saved our lives if that had happened."

"But they're going to die. The next set of matches isn't for a week."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Judy's sudden outburst had Nick cringing, nearly jerking the wheel to the side. "I just condemned a bunch of mammals to death because I found out about this too late. We wouldn't be able to organize a raid this soon and if we got caught trying to free them they might just kill everyone, including us. And I just spent the last twenty minutes getting fucked in a supply room over some irrational feeling about my mate being taken away rather than focusing on the bigger picture."

"Hey now, that's not fair, Judy." Reaching across to her side, Nick stroked her ears trying to keep her mind calm. The sincerity in his voice and also the use of her name helped. "You're dealing with something no one ever has before. You can't expect yourself to always be in control, you know this." Patting her knee, Nick signaled to turn into the hotel parking lot. "Let's get upstairs. You start a shower, I'll report in to Bogo and then I'll join you. Sound good?" Sniffling, Judy nodded, needing to feel her mate wrap around her and promise everything would be okay.

* * *

Chief Bogo walked into the bullpen, head down as he consorted the files in front of him. The usual pounding on the tables went unnoticed as the buffalo moved to stand at the podium. He hadn't even needed to utter the cry to settle down as his officers saw the change from his normal mood and instantly went silent. As his eyes swept over the room, an almost palpable wave of rage seemed to emanate from the large mammal. "We have a serious problem."


	35. Chapter 39 - Mind over body

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: So I had a dream where Mr. Big was about to ice Duke only for Clawhauser to appear at the door, except he wasn't Clawhauser. Well he was but he was a giant donut Clawhauser. Then they were all sitting down to watch the game, Duke with his legs stuck in the water because reasons, when suddenly on flashed a commercial about furcare products and Nick and Judy were in the shower on the commercial which didn't even feature the shampoo at all. At that point the dream switched to Francine skydiving down into the Bullpen where Bogo walked in while Neil Patrick Harris was on his shoulders, oh and Blue, you were there but McHorn accidentally sat on you. Sorry bud. And then other Clawhauser danced in doing a version of River Dance. I know, everyone else shuddered too. So, to sum up, falling asleep watching Zootopia after binging on lasagna, enchiladas, Mountain Dew, and really odd mushrooms out behind your house is not good for your sanity. Too bad I didn't own Zootopia right then. That would have made for one kickass dream for Nick to have and wake up next to Judy.

The mood in the bullpen was anything but joyful as battle plans were laid out once more on the wall. Though each officer had memorized their roles a dozen times over, every pair of eyes was fixated on the board. A mission like the one before them was complex and warranted the attention of everyone in attendance. Though they had been aware of the group, keeping a close eye on them from the inside, no one had expected the revelation that had been uncovered. They were all furious at what they had informed of, yet no mammal held a candle to the rage shown by the buffalo stomping into the room. The fury emanating from the Chief of Police had even Francine, the elephant officer who outweighed the horned mammal by four or five times, cowering low, hoping to shrink enough to remove herself from his terrible gaze.

"As you all are aware, the group known as the 'Prey Fighters League' has been operating in Zootopia for several months. A blown undercover operation nearly resulted in losing any chance we had at learning more about this group. Luckily, we managed to get the Wildes in with their feet in the door and it's a good thing they did." Save for a few officers in the know, most of the room looked overly surprised. They had been told Nick and Judy had been on an extended vacation in Bunnyburrow. "While before this was a simple illegal fighting and gambling ring, we've learned that it goes much deeper and far more disturbing." Clicking the slide on the projector, the plans shifted into the image of a well dressed male lion with a sleeked back mane.

"This is Robert Manely, AKA 'Claw'. He's the mammal at the top. From what we've been told he's not at every fight, however Nick managed to find out he would be at the one tonight." Flicking to the next slide, Bogo showed a photo of a loading dock with much activity surrounding it. "Following a tip-off from the Wildes, we managed to get an officer on sight just in time to catch them loading these cages into the trucks." The next slide showed a zoomed in view, several mammals visible inside the cages. "These assorted prey mammals are not fighters. They are not there voluntarily. These citizens were all abducted and have been forced to fight to the death for months."

Each officer assembled had heard the speech several times over the past few days, but not a single one showed any less anger than the first time they had been told a week before. Light growling could be heard from several of the predators and more than one set of hooves or paws were curled in frustration. "The raid will be going down tonight. Every mammal in this room will be part of it and we'll need to make sure you are all aware of a few key pieces of information." Slapping two pictures onto the whiteboard beside him, he let them absorb the images of a graying red fox with white tipped tails and paws and a jet black rabbit with a red streak across her head. "Officers Wilde and Wilde went undercover with new identities and appearances. Obviously you know which is which. If everything goes smoothly, we will arrest the Wildes along with everyone else we can get a hold of in order to get them cleared without fearing retribution. If it doesn't, they'll most likely be joining us in the fight and we'll have to rely on their lack of disguises to keep them out of suspicion."

"Chief?" A gray paw raised in the back of the room, Wolford standing on his chair to make sure he was seen. "What do we do about the caged mammals? Surely there are too many of them to move quickly and from what you told us about the cages, very few of us would be able to lift the tops."

"Our priorities are not to free the mammals, but simply clear any guards from the area and hold it until the raid has been successful and we can afford to open them without fear of being hit from behind."

"What about the guards?" This time it was Lylah speaking up. "What kind of fire power are we looking at?"

"Nick has given us a break down of what he's seen. Most of the guards around the perimeter are carrying light-grade SMG's. Problematic for anyone going in with suits and ties, but unlikely to penetrate body armor and Kevlar helmets. Inside, he saw no one with anything bigger than hand guns but we should be prepared for shotguns and the like. SWAT will be moving in as well in order to clear the area before you all head inside." Bogo tightened his hooves on the podium, the wood nearly cracking in two. "I'm only going to say this once. They do  _not_  get away. I don't care if you have to resort to teeth and claws, no one makes it out of there without a pair of cuffs. And if you run out of those? Get some rope."

* * *

Laid back against the cool sheets and soft pillow, Nicholas Wilde couldn't help but stare at the beautiful bunny next to him. Her head on his chest and her ears flopped to the side, she appeared to be asleep if it weren't for the quick panting coming from her lips. Half-lidded eyes partially hid the amethyst eyes of the once gray rabbit, yet they were not closed because of exhaustion, but more of a post-coital bliss that filled every part of her.

Since their last time at the ring, Judy had been insatiable, demanding Nick's attention throughout all the day and night. Her possessive instincts had gone well past a simple loss of control that night, causing her to almost regress back to a primal state before they had evolved, consumed only by instinct and basic needs for survival. While she had not incurred a relapse into that state again, she certainly had experienced a large boost to her mating instincts. While Nick was not wholly bothered by this turn of events, he did have to admit that even  _his_  limits were being pushed to the breaking point. He also was having difficulty in deciding whether or not they should be part of the raid that evening. He knew the whole point of them being there was to eliminate suspicion that the two newest fighter and manager were suddenly absent when the police showed up. However, he was also very concerned that Judy would become a liability, one which could prove a danger to the others.

All he needed was for someone like that Jade bunny to come and hang off his arm again for Judy to lose focus and attack the innocent fighter rather than help to take down the guards and rescue the caged mammals. That could end up with her, and perhaps all of the victims, killed. He had to be sure if she could handle the strain of her instincts before he could allow her to suit up with the rest of them and he would trigger her mating instinct and fuck her senseless if he had to in order to keep her from leaving. She might hate him afterwards but his conscience would be clear and they won't have put anyone's lives at risk.

"Carrots?" Still wrapped up in the pleasant feelings left behind by their coupling, Judy could do nothing more than let out an incoherent mumble. The adorable sound plus her floppy ears and her little tongue sticking partway past her lips had a grin forming on the fox's muzzle.  _She is just so damn cute._  "Carrots? Bun bun, you in there?" Several mumbled words flowed from her, though he was unable to make out any of them. "What was that, Fluff?"

"Don't call me Bun bun." While clearer, the words were still slightly muffled, taking her adorableness up by a factor of ten. It took everything Nick had to not coo at her. He was not normally one for falling all over her cuteness, but this time it was just too perfect of a moment. Sneaking his paw over to the side table, he quickly pawed his phone and brought it to him. Making sure to silence the phone's audio signals, he took several snapshots of her from his viewpoint before reaching down and taking several selfies of them together. As they were both naked, he decided he would keep those to himself and maybe give her a couple if she liked them.

Putting his phone back, he used the paw instead to stroke her ears back into place along her neck. "Carrots, we need to talk." Some of the worst words in any relationship tend to be 'we need to talk.' It's a simple statement that could convey a whole matter of topics, yet it gives off an ominous feeling, one that tends to send even the bravest running for the hills. Judy Wilde was a much different mammal. To her, 'we need to talk' is taken as a challenge, and Judy Wilde  _never_  backs down from a challenge.

Watching her rouse herself, Nick kept himself hidden behind his mask while inside he was slightly trembling. He knew the effect those words would have on her but it was something they really did need to address. He couldn't let her go in if she was unprepared, neither as her mate nor as her partner. He was responsible for her safety and well being in all aspects of their lives and he would be damned if he was going to shirk that responsibility simply because he was trepidatious about confronting his wife.

Eyes of the purest violet he had ever seen stared into his own emerald orbs, able to see past any facade he put up, any walls he tried to hide behind. She knew he was nervous and that bothered her. While she may feel a guilty thrill that she could make a mammal larger than her tremble, she never wanted it to be her mate. It was not unfounded, of course. She had done many things over the past year that would make any mammal nervous, possibly even frightened by being alone in the same room as her, yet he had always stayed with her, during the best and the worst times, and not just because of her condition. But because he truly and deeply loved her, and she, him. Knowing this, she sought to comfort him as much as she could.

Nick watched as his bunny stretched out her limbs before arching her back, letting the bones pop back into place. As rough as they had been all morning, she was surprised she was not hurting more. Nick could not help but watch as her chest was puffed out while she bent backwards, the sight causing him to lose focus for a few seconds. With dainty paws and soft steps, Judy slowly climbed her lover's chest and snuggled her head under his chin. "What's up, Slick?"

Thrown off guard at her relatively soft response to his statement, Nick chose to try and keep the tone even, hoping to get out of this alive and with any luck, still with all of his bones intact. "We need to talk. About tonight." Unsurprised, Judy let out a sigh. She knew this was coming. She had been carefully watching him for days and everytime the plan for this night had come up, his gaze had shifted ever so slightly, telling her he was thinking of something that was causing him a feeling of guilt. The only thing he could feel guilty about in regards to the plan was her, which she knew meant keeping her out of it.

"Nick, I'm going. That's that." The tod could not help but smile at his mate. Perceptive and blunt, something that he had admired since day one. Of course this was not one of times where that tactic would work and could very well end with them joining the caged mammals if things went south quickly.

"We need to talk about this, Carrots." When she pulled away from him and started heading for the edge of the bed, he became torn. To let her storm away to the bathroom or to take her arm and drag her back to hash things out. Knowing how stubborn she could be, she could very well lock the bathroom door and spend an hour under the hot spray of the shower head. Reaching out quickly, he wrapped his paw around her smaller arm, taking a moment to notice how delicate she seemed to be compared to him, thought it was all an illusion. The deep purple of her irises flashed dangerously as they gazed at the russet arm connected to hers. "We're not leaving this bed until we talk about this."

If glares were something that could be turned into a weapon, Nick Wilde would be dead one thousand times over. It was such an intense stare that he could almost feel pain being caused by it. He had no choice but to meet her gaze with his own, holding their eyes locked together until she bowed to his wishes. Stubborn though she was, usually enough to withstand anything he could throw at her, even the locked stare, this time Nick was driven by something powerful. The desire to see no harm come to his mate providing him with all of the strength he would need.

Her eyes narrowed but he could see a waver in them, her conviction faltering slightly. "Fine. Let's talk." Her words were a partial surrender, though her attitude and stance made it appear that she had only agreed as a courtesy to him. He had to her ability to keep her cool and her head intact, even under such conditions. "They are going to need me, Nick. Need  _us._ There is too much at stake for us to just sit here twiddling our thumbs."

"You didn't seem to mind the use of my thumbs earlier," he joked. Immediately he knew it was the wrong thing to say, her lips tightening into a line so thin they nearly disappeared. "Okay, okay. That was my bad. All serious now." Hauling her back to him, he let her struggle halfheartedly until she settled against his side, his scent calming her drastically. "I don't know if you are going to be able to handle this. I mean just the thought of that other rabbit touching my arm has driven your hormones out of control for a week. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. But if we go, were going to have to play along until  _at least_  the raid, which means I'll need to play 'manager' again and that means I'll be stuck dealing with Rocky the 'flying' squirrel if he insults me again, and the obsessed rabbit with a mean right hook. Can you handle me having to put up with her until then?"

This gave Judy pause. Could she handle herself for that long? Could she handle herself at all? It had taken her months to come to terms with Lylah and Nick interacting and she was a lesbian and only attracted to cheetahs. From what Nick had said, this was another female rabbit who seemed to have a certain appetite for canines if his gauging of her was right. She had nearly attacked family members for less. Yet she had a feeling this time would be different. The images of the trapped mammals swam in front of her eyes, specifically the young kudu. She had promised Bethany she would be back for her and nothing was going to stop her from helping free those mammals, one way or another. "I can do it."

"Carrots," Nick began, eyeing her warily.

"No Nick. I can do this. I can keep a clear head. I won't lose myself." She snuggled into his chest, nuzzling her head beneath his chin. "I can't promise you that I won't drag her into the pit if she tries anything again. You're my fox and I'll be damned if another bunny thinks she can make a move on you."

"Well, it's a far cry from making me a hundred percent reassured, but I trust you Mrs. Wilde. Let's make the right decisions and get those mammals home."

* * *

Walking through the throng of mammals, head held high and movements methodical and strong, Judy was attracting great attention from the wealthy individuals scattered around the pit. She had been of great interest to the majority gathered there the week before, having watched her incredible performance against the ram in her first match. Now after seeing her in fighting condition, a complete turn around from her injured and tired appearance a week prior, the bets were rolling in on her before her opponent had even been announced.

While she seemed to be in peak condition once more, on the inside she was still injured and was merely pushing through for appearances sake. Her ribs still burned whenever she would twist suddenly or had to take in a great lungful of air. The rest of her was in fighting form however. She would just need to make sure she protected her chest if she was put into a fight before the raid happened. Her chest plate would take most of the damage sent that way, but it would not negate everything.

Meanwhile, Nick was moving throughout the room, schmoozing the gamblers and rubbing shoulders with some of the upper echelon high-rollers. He felt it would be a good use of his time to try and get a read on the mammals and determine who the most likely ones were to put up money on deathmatches, not to mention it was an info sellers goldmine. Within minutes he had gained enough insiders knowledge to take down half of the corrupt politicians in the city, though without any way to record them he would simply have to pass on the information to the Chief.

True to Nick's intel, Manely was present, though for some reason this night he was down on the main floor, meeting with all of the mammals of high caliber there for the evening. As Nick had mentioned before, mammals like Manely wanted to surround themselves with other mammals who had power and influence so that they in turn might gain some as well. The lion was certainly well equipped to do that as they recognized several high ranking CEOs and even two city councilmammals that he was getting in tight with by the look of things.

Judy headed down to the training area to work on a bag, loosening up some of the muscles she had been neglecting as she healed up from her last fight. A few light combos told her exactly what she was afraid of. Her body was far too stiff to go up against a seasoned fighter unless she really put in some work quickly. She started in again, utilizing her quick paws and powerful kicks to beat the bag into submission. After ten minutes or so she started to feel rather good, her muscles finally able to relax after being made to sit still for a week instead of training like she knew she should have.

It was during the warm-ups with the jump rope that she became aware of another presence nearby, one which caused a surge of anger to rear it's ugly head inside of her. A gray bunny had taken up the space directly next to hers, prepping her paws for some of her own training. Judy attempted to ignore her, focusing on what she and Nick had talked about earlier that morning and keeping the face of the young kudu firmly in her mind to dissuade her instincts from getting the upper paw. It was not the rabbit officer who became the issue, however. Her green eyes showing a glint of malice in them, Jade kept her gaze on her paws while she addressed the black bunny casually. "So. Does fucking the fox get you some sort of special treatment or can anyone take the old boy for a ride?" Unaware of how much danger she had just put herself in, Jade continued smirking, thinking that if she could get the fox alone for a few minutes she could show him why he needed to dump the dead weight and sign her on as his headliner.

"What did you just say to me?" Her words punctuated with a low growl, Judy was pleased to see a momentary falter in the doe's overconfident smile. Jade was suddenly very nervous as she saw the other bunny curl her lip in a snarl, looking as much like the predator she had seen her mating with rather than a bunny. When their eyes met, though the professional fighter knew she was more skilled, the savage look in the black rabbit's eye made a shiver crawl down her spine.

* * *

Taking the first opportunity he had found to slip away, Nick had been exploring the building as casually as he could. This night they had met with the league at a shipping company's large hub. Tens of thousands of packages went through that building each day. However, due to a union strike that had lasted over a month, the building had been temporarily shut down, making it a perfect spot for the league to operate out of. His job for the moment was to locate the area where the caged mammals were being kept. While they had kept an eye out for the loading docks, they had been dismayed to find that because it was such a large shipping hub, there were at least twenty docks around the entire building. Determining which group they were being held at was crucial before the raid began to keep them safe.

He had already eliminated three groups leaving at least twelve docks to go. He was surprised to have found the halls empty. He had not encountered a single guard or even a fighter or manager throughout the hallways. He supposed he shouldn't be too shocked though. The action for the fighters, managers, and gamblers were all back where he had started from, surrounding the makeshift fighting arena. The guards would only be patrolling the outside perimeter unless they were guarding the loading docks where the prey were being kept.

He couldn't help but run through scenarios in his mind about how he could free the trapped mammals when he found them. In every single one of them, he was able to take out the guards, but for the life of him he could never come up with the part of the plan that would actually rescue them. He was too small and not nearly strong enough to lift the tops, nor could he get enough of them out with a fork truck. He didn't even know if there was a truck waiting at the docks that he could load. No, he would simply have to determine where they were and hope he could pass along the info during the chaos when the raid hit.

He had eliminated two more sections of the building when what sounded like ringing steel hitting cement echoed through the narrow hallways.  _What are the odds that a piece of hollow steel just happens to fall during my search for a guarded room._ Keeping his steps light and his ears perked, Nick cautiously moved along the corridor. Coming to a pair of swing doors separating him from the next bay, he cautiously opened the door a fraction, just enough to poke his nose through in order to get a scent to find out what he was up against. There was a faint scent of feline in the air but also that of an ursine.  _Cat and a bear. Interesting combo._ Able to determine they were a significant distance away and unlikely to see the door opening just enough for him to slip through, Nick pushed forward and crept along the floor, keeping himself low until he was near enough to catch snippets of conversation.

"-atch where the hell you're goin'. If you had swept your giant, flabby arm to the right another foot I'd have been buried in steel bars."  
"Thank you for reminding me. I'll make sure to swing that way next time just so I don't have to hear your big mouth blabbing on anymore."

Taking the chance, Nick craned his head over the top of the stacked boxes he was taking cover behind. The first mammal he recognized was the black bear that had held him up against the wall the night of initiation. Just the sight of him brought his hackles to a rise, knowing he was one of the reasons he was forced to watch his mate get hurt. The other mammal was one he hadn't seen hanging around before. An ocelot, nearly the same height as Nick, sat on the non-working conveyor belt, taking time to clean her claws. While the cat had one of the standard SMGs he had seen around the shoulders of most of the guards, it was what the bear held that concerned him. He couldn't be one hundred percent certain, but the shotgun in his paws looked an awful lot like one of the SWAT issued pump models. If it was, that bear could pose a serious threat to his friends that were soon to be busting down the door.

"I don't see why we even need to be guarding the door. It's not like they can get out." The bear gave the feline a look of pity, as if he was surprised someone that stupid even knew how to talk.  
"It's not them getting out that's the problem. Don't you pay attention to anything?" She simply shrugged and went back to cleaning her claws. Nick watched as the bear's arm twitched as if craving to knock the cat's head off her shoulder's but settled for a roll of his eyes. "Last week someone managed to break into the holding area."  
"Who was it?"  
"Don't know. Bill managed to get a scent of a single mammal but whoever it was has a scent that he's unfamiliar with. As if it was two or more scents jumbled together to the point he can't separate them."  _Thank heavens for small favors,_ Nick thought to himself. All of the time spent marking her had caused the scent to mix so heavily it made it impossible to tell the species, though if the same mammal sniffed Judy he would know exactly who it had been. The mix was extremely unique. "And the prey ain't talkin. Even when we threatened them with turns in the pit."  
"What are they thinking? Rescue?"  
"Good possibility. That's why we're posted here instead of getting watch upstairs."  
"Ruddy bunch of crap if you ask me," the feline growled.  
"Amen to that, sister."

Having accomplished his main goal, Nick slowly crept back to the swinging doors and out into the hallway, being as cautious as possible to not alert the armed guards not a hundred feet from him. Once in the clear, He straightened up from the floor and began walking at a brisk pace back through the minor maze of rolling conveyors and shipping containers stacked randomly throughout the rooms. Luckily he had been paying close attention to where he had been going in case he needed to make a hasty retreat. Without having to move slowly in order to search, his return the main area was relatively quick.

* * *

After briefly scanning the group of gamblers and not seeing jet black fur on long ears, Nick headed for the railing, traveling down the stairwell to the training area. He needed to let Judy know where the caged mammals were at in case it fell to her to rescue them during the raid. However, the scene when he reached the bottom was not one that filled him with confidence.

Held back by three larger mammals, an all black rabbit with a red streak across her head was busy snarling at a gray rabbit across the floor who had regained some of her confident swagger now seeing that the psychotic rabbit couldn't get to her. "What the hell is going on here?!" he bellowed, his voice echoing across the room.

"Oh Theo! Thank heavens you're here." Jade had sprinted across the room and thrown herself at the fox who regarded the rabbit with a look of contempt which she missed. Judy's snarls became even more pronounced as she struggled against her captors. "Your... _fighter_  over there has lost her mind. Attacked me for no reason." Nick could only look at her in anger.  _Yeah, and I'm up to be the next mayor._ He was fighting every instinct of his own not to snarl at the gray bunny himself.

Shrugging the rabbit off of him, Nick moved towards his mate, his mind working overtime on a way to explain all of this and praying Judy would be able to regain control quickly. Kneeling down next to the struggling rabbit, he let his whispered words flow to her ears. "Carrots. I really hope you're yourself right now, cause we don't have time for this." The only response he got was a low growl and a thrust of her chin, her attempt to mark him. Luckily to everyone else, it looked as if she was lunging at him with her teeth.

Looking down over the railings, attracted by the noise and rowdy yelling, Maw stared at the two rabbits. One, struggling badly to reach her desired quarry, the other staying just out of reach and taunting the black one mercilessly. "Well. It looks like we have our next match already lined up." While speaking in a calm manner, the large bear's voice still echoed out over the entire training area causing everyone to cease what they were doing and immediately turn their attention to the stairwell. "You," his claw pointed directly at Jade who quivered slightly, "in the pit. And you three," he addressed the prey mammals currently restraining Judy, "dump her in as well."

Nick had a very bad feeling about what was going to happen once the two rabbits were left alone in the steel cell. He knew Jade most likely could outfight Judy as most of her knowledge was routed in ZPD training, but as far sunk as she was into her territorial instincts, there was no telling what would happen to the other doe. You can't fight base instincts and where Judy's had been altered into aggression, the other bunny's was still rooted in the 'flight' aspect.

Unlike the first time she had been sent in the pit, Judy ripped her arms away from the three mammals restraining and charged in, running around in a frenzy ready to start. Nick knew that was a very bad sign for Jade and turned to face the gray rabbit in an attempt to tell her to take a dive before she got hurt too badly. Before her could utter a word however, he found a paw grabbing his cheek and yanking him down as Jade smashed her lips against his. She pulled back to see the stunned look on his face, a smirk coming across her lips. "After I beat down that pathetic excuse for a rabbit, I'm gonna show you just how much fun a real bunny can be. I can do anything she did for you and then some." She winked at him before turning away, not seeing the look of disgust cross his face as he wiped his paw across his lips.

None of this went unnoticed by the one clad in midnight fur whose eyes were suddenly lit with a fire of pure rage. The second Jade had crossed into the pit and the door had closed behind her, she found herself under assault from a dark blur, paws slashing against her torso, dulls claws being used with such force and speed that they were eviscerating the uniform.

For the first few moments, the gray doe found herself frozen in terror before her instincts for survival came rushing in. Propping her self on her back, she coiled her legs and shoved with everything she had, sending the other doe flying backwards. Both of them had regained their feet relatively quickly. Jade had taken a few blows to her midsection and a massive bruise was already forming on her neck. Judy meanwhile was having a bit more trouble. The kick had re-aggravated her injuries to her ribs causing some shallow breathing and minor flashes of pain whenever she twisted. Unfortunately for the other rabbit, while Judy's injury would have been enough to end most other fighters, hers were merely ignored and the adrenaline pumping through her was going to be used for inflicting pain, not feeling it.

After being on the end of that first assault, Jade was a bit more wary of the black doe. She had seen the anger in her eyes when she taunted her about the fox, but she never expected for it to drive the bunny insane. The snarls ripping from the throat of her opponent was more than enough to put a healthy amount of fear in her, though she was not about to back down from a fight. Especially not one she was sure she could win.

That was until Judy charged forward with a near unnatural speed and slammed both hindpaws into the gray bunny's kneecap. With an awful screech, Jade found herself face down on the floor. Quickly flexing her leg, she could tell nothing was broken but she also knew standing was going to hurt until the pain could fade away, which meant she needed to be quick with her paws to avoid anymore strain on her leg. Struggling to her feet, the injured lagamorph watched with some trepidation as her opponent circled her on all fours, much the way a savage lion or wolf might do, light growls and a few gnashes of her large teeth sent her way.

Nick watched as his mate circled the other bunny. He desperately wanted to get her out of there before she did something she would always regret but he wasn't sure how without blowing cover and with a look at his watch telling him the raid was going down in the next five minutes, he could only pray that it wasn't enough time for her to kill the other bunny.

Back in the pit, Jade had deflected several of Judy's attacks, having learned to recognize when she was about to make a leap. Crazy she may seem but her movements were entirely too predictable. Waiting for the opportune moment, the doe fell back into a counter stance bracing all of her weight on her bad knee so that when she struck, all of her momentum would transfer to her strong one.

The doe had been circling, trying to find an opening against the rabbit, against her  _prey_. The one who had tried to steal her mate. Her primal side, her  _savage_  side, was calling for blood. To latch her teeth onto that gray throat and rip it free. To watch the life drain from her body so that she knew she would never try to come between her and her mate again. It was the rage and desire for blood that had some deep part within awakening. From inside, something began to claw it's way out. A desperate struggle to escape the darkness below, a need to embrace the light once more before it slipped into an eternal black pit. A voice in the back of her mind, one demanding to be let free, cried out in desperation.  _No! I won't let this happen!_

For so long, whenever she would slip into a primal state where her instincts reigned supreme, her conscious mind was forced to take a back seat. Not once had Judy tried to combat it. Not once had she bothered to find the strength to resist it. Her instincts knew best, did they not? They had kept their species alive for millennia, who was she to deny them that control. But now, with the stray feeling of wanting death beneath her paws and between her teeth reaching into the abyss, Judy's mind fought back. If she was able to imagine the mental battle in a physical sense, it would be much like crawling through the mud beneath barbed wire while being dragged in the other direction by a rhino. The closer she got, the harder the pull. She would not be denied.

Not for nothing was Judy Wilde the most stubborn mammal in the ZPD and unanimously seen as the best in the precinct and it was this that drove her.  _I am a cop. Not a murderer._ More ground was taken as she crawled deeper into the mud.  _I own this body, it does not own me._ The darkness around her was starting to fade, the silence lifting to the sounds of cheering.  _I am Judy Wilde._ Focusing on the noise, she could start to feel pieces of her body as her thoughts stretched out.  _I am not a lowly animal. I am a daughter._ Flashes of her parents swam into her mind's eye.  _A sister._ The sight of Sarah in her graduation gown.  _A wife._  It was his image, that of a strong red fox with piercing green eyes that finally did it. With a sudden surge of strength of will, Judy burst forth from the darkness, letting herself reclaim her body. For the first time, she was finally in control. The instincts were still there, just as Sarah had told her they would be, however it was different now. Now she owned  _them,_  not the other way around.

With Judy now in full control, her instincts locked away, she realized how close to a disaster she had been. Jade had been primed for a truly devastating punch, one her instinct driven mind would not have understood to dodge or counter. It could have very well broken her ribs or potentially her jaw. This did give Judy an opportunity that would not have otherwise presented itself. As much as she longed to straighten up on her hindpaws, she kept herself low to the ground on all fours. She kept up the growl and the stalking, trying to keep Jade off balance until she saw her opening.

A shift of her rear knee and the flinch of pain across her face gave Judy all the opening she needed. Charging in, keeping her paws on all fours, she watched for the inevitable strike, priming her legs for the crucial moment. Just as she reached the spot where her other self would have jumped, Judy tipped her head up, feinting at the motion. The ruse worked and Jade's fist came whipping out in a blur with all of the force she could muster behind it. It connected with nothing but air, making the doe stumble as her momentum carried itself forward. Judy had elected to slide along the cement floor, striking out with her legs as she passed the doe's, striking both the rear on her front knee and the cap of the back one for the second time. The effect was instantaneous as the gray rabbit slammed to the floor.

Scrabbling to her feet, the black rabbit charged over and quickly wrapped her arms around the other's neck. In a blind panic, the gray bunny started flailing around, her body calling for air. Judy knew she had only seconds before rational thought returned and Jade managed to throw her off. Kicking her feet downwards, she used her strong legs to wrap them around the doe's weakened one for added leverage. Dragging the leg up, she pushed it past the normal range making the doe scream in agony. She tightened her grip around her throat, forcing her head backwards, her body forming a vague 'u' shape.

She could feel the gray paw on the other side of the bunny slamming into the floor, repeatedly trying to tap out. The rules were clear though. No one leaves until someone is unconscious. Feeling like a horrible mammal, Judy tightened even further, making breathing nearly impossible for the other doe. Hushed whimpers made their way to her ears as hot tears dripped onto her paws. The bunny in black pinched her eyes shut, making a promise that she would kick that damn lion in the head for both of them.

Eventually, the doe's cries and struggles faded away as she slipped into unconsciousness. Judy gently laid her head down, not wanting to cause any more damage than she already had. Turning her eyes upwards, she watched in utter rage as money exchanged paws and mammals cheered as another lay on the ground, possibly with enough injuries to lay her up in the hospital. Ripping off her steel gauntlet she chucked it out of the pit, striking a server's tray delivering drinks to the gamblers. Shock and anger rang out as they found themselves soaked in alcohol. "Are you not entertained?!" she cried out. "Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?!" She spat on the ground, fixing her steely gaze on everyone. Just as Claw began moving towards the edge of the pit, a crash that shook the bones of every mammal present in the room rang out. All heads turned as one in time to see a large sharp horn piercing through the metal door and rip from the wall, continuing along the same path as the rhino behind it.

It took a few moments for what just happened to register in their minds, but as more mammals poured through the new hole in the wall, all wearing ZPD SWAT uniforms, the shock wore off and both gamblers and employees of the league took off running. Though armed with lethal firearms, the police officers were employing the use of tranquilizers first to lessen the chances of any casualties. These were put to great use as mammal after mammal fell to the floor, the drugs making quick work of their consciousnesses.

Nick made to follow the crowd if only to make it appear that he wasn't part of the sting operation. Unfortunately he ran straight into a fellow ZPD officer, decked out in full body armor and Kevlar. The fox felt the barrel of a tranquilizer press against his chest and prayed he wouldn't be rendered unconscious. He still needed to free his bunny and make sure the hostages were safe as he was the only one who knew where they were at present.

The wolf in front of Nick began to squeeze the trigger, only to pause as a subtle scent wafted past his nose, making it twitch. A distinct smell of a familiar rabbit emanating from the fox before him. A sliver of recognition crossed his muzzle and he quickly lifted his visor. Nick exhaled with relief at the sight of the timber wolf. "Wolfie, old buddy. Spare some change?" He held his paw out with a casual smirk broad on his face. Wolford gave the fox a toothy grin as he shook his head and placed his own tranquilizer into the waiting appendage before pulling his pistol and heading back into the mix.

It was an ungainly weapon in his much smaller paws, but he found that by holding it more like a small rifle he would be able to control it better. Not for the first time did he wish his species were a bit bigger to make the job easier, but he learned to work around that. Checking the ammo count and seeing he had only six shots, Nick made a mental note to keep careful count so he wouldn't suddenly find himself clicking an empty magazine.

Not bothering with the stairs, the fox vaulted over the railing to the floor below, tucking and rolling to absorb the impact and keep himself moving, hastening towards the side door of the pit. The sight of a hyena in front of him did not slow him down one bit, his tranquilizer raised and a dart fired before the predator could pull his pistol. He winced slightly as the projectile stuck just beneath the eye but the quicker influx into the bloodstream meant the mammal was keeling over before Nick even reached him. Snagging the keys from the guard's belt, he quickly unlocked the doors only for his chest to be slammed into by a shaking black bunny. It took Nick a moment to realize what had just occurred, but he quickly wrapped his arms around his wife and held her tightly. "I've got you, Carrots. Are you okay?"

Her body shuddered at his words. Was she okay? No. No she was not. She had slid so deep into the well that it had been a miracle she had been able to surface at all. Had injured another mammal so badly she might end up being hospitalized. All because her irrationality had forced her paw.  _Just like Nick said it would._ She hated to admit when she was wrong but she could have killed someone had her civilized side not fought through. "I should never have come, Nick. You were right." She buried her teary eyes into his chest, ignoring the sounds of chaos that surrounded them. For a few moments it was just them and she needed that to bring herself back to sanity.

"Hey, none of that, Carrots." Pulling back, Nick wrapped his paws around her shoulders and sunk down to look her directly in the eye. "Yes, you sunk. But you also got out of that on your own. And you've never shown that amount of self-control before. You're the strongest mammal I know and you have a will forged in iron." Putting his paw underneath her chin, he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. "Now, it looks like everything has gone to hell." As if to drive his point home, Officer Higgins, a very large hippopotamus, came flying over the railing, a jackal wrapped in his arms before they slammed into the ground. They two looked at each other as the hippo cuffed the predator. "Ready to go make the world a better place?" Nick said with a smile.

"I was born ready," she replied, a maniacal grin on her lips as she charged up the stairs into the fray. Nick began to move after her to make sure she was going to be safe. However, before he could even round the corner, he heard a shrill cry from her and watched as a coyote came flying down the stairs, completely out cold.  _That's my bunny_ , he mused with a smile. Remembering his part of the mission, Nick dragged the unconscious doe to a safe location before turning back towards the hallway that led to the loading docks.

* * *

It didn't take long for him to find his way back. He had made mental notes on where he needed to turn to find the proper hallway again and while the issue upstairs had certainly diverted his attention for a while, he still kept part of his mind on the mission. There was no chance of him leaving those mammals behind. He would get them out if he had to drag them to the trailers by paw.

He had just made it to the last of the shipping bays before the hallway when a sudden commotion from up ahead forced him to jump to the side, hiding behind a stack of crates that had been set to ship two weeks prior according to the time stamps.  _Thank heavens for small favors,_  he thought, not wanting to be spotted by anyone not wearing a ZPD flak jacket. As if to prove his paranoia right, the ursine and feline he had seen guarding the prey mammals came tearing through the hall, most likely on their way to support their boss in the struggle against the police.

Nick waited a good twenty seconds to make sure they had passed and kept going before straightening up and moving forward. Unless someone had been added recently, those two leaving meant the room was now unguarded. However Nick was not a fool to simply think he could charge right in. Reaching the double doors, he slid down near to the floor, much as he had a short while ago and pushed his nose into the room. The scents of the bear and cat were still present which he had figured was most likely since they had only just fled past him. However he could not detect any new scents. Either no other mammals had passed through or any who had had masked their scent.

Taking a cautious approach, Nick slowly moved into the room, craning his neck to see over any of the smaller crates. The company must use much larger mammals than himself for shipping duty as most of the inventory was in crates large enough to fit two or more of him. It didn't make him pause however, moving from one crate to another, checking around each corner, tranquilizer raised and ready to fire. Surprisingly he met no resistance. Even with the fight going on outside of the docks, Nick expected at least one guard.

Finally crossing the room, the fox stood just outside a pair of large steel doors that led into the docking bay he assumed held the imprisoned mammals. While pleased he was able to reach them without confrontation, the sight of an industrial padlock hanging open suddenly had him worried. It was unlikely the two guards would have left the doors wide open when heading off to the other side of the building, so it was most likely that someone else had snuck down there to dispose of the evidence, in this case, roughly dozens of innocent prey mammals.

Cracking the door open and seeing mostly dim areas, some pitch black even, Nick was thankful for the fact that he was a fox. His night eyes peeked through the darkness as if the sun had risen in the windows. It was one of the few things that no matter what he had been through in life that he could always appreciate about being a fox. Using the lack of light as a cover for his form, the vulpine moved quickly down the rows, making sure to check each row between them for any hidden surprises or ambushes. Some of the captives stirred and noted a predator moving around them in the dark and spooked.

"Watch out! There's a fox in here!"  
"Predator! He's going to finish us off!  
"Get away from us, you monster!"

A few of the younger mammals, barely into their teens collapsed to the floor of their cage and began weeping. "No, no. It's okay," he tried to reassure them. "I'm a good fox, okay everyone? I'm here with Harley. She found you last week, right?" There were a few glances his way that seemed hopefully rather than frightened though a fair few seemed to not believe a word he said.

"H-Harley sent you?" The timid voice behind him had Nick turning around. A young kudu girl sat in a cage roughly thirty feet away, her red-rimmed eyes showing signs of hope and a desperation to believe she would be okay for the first time since the black bunny had disappeared.

"Yeah. She's my friend. Bethany right?" The kudu nodded emphatically. "We came back tonight to get you guys out of here-"

"Well that's good to know, isn't it?" Before the tod could focus on this newest voice, the bright lights overhead suddenly flashed on, nearly blinding the mammal. His eyes now tearing, Nick tried to focus and push past the light, though he still was suffering from spots in his vision. From ahead of him, a metallic clacking sound caused him to pause in his movements. He had been through enough training seminars and been through several live fire cases the know that whoever was in front of him had racked a pistol and held the hammer back. "I guess now we better take care of the rabbit as well. Thank you, Mr. Faber. We were having a difficult time trying to determine who had managed to break into the holding area last time and now we know."

The spots slowly disappearing as his vision cleared, Nick looked towards the voice to see another red fox standing in front of him, almost directly in front of the young kudu girl he had been speaking with. He didn't appear to be anyone he would know. There were no flashy jewelry or watches on his wrist. His clothes were of fine quality but not richly so. He seemed to someone to acknowledge and then forget, something Nick knew he could work with. "Who are you, the delivery boy?" While goading someone holding a loaded gun aimed at you seemed moronic at best, it usually worked in Nick's favor, his words often catching them off guard long enough to be disarmed.

"I'm Blood," the new fox said confidently, sneering at the older mammal.

"Blood? What is that supposed to mean? You didn't cook the chicken long enough?" Funnily enough a few of the prey surrounding them let out snickers, quickly silencing them behind clasped paws when the gun waving predator glared their way.

"Very amusing, Mr. Faber. Drop the gun. Now." Nick hesitated for a moment, knowing that if he gave up the tranquilizer he was a dead mammal, however he couldn't see how he would be able to get a shot off before the other canine put several holes through his fur. Deciding to play along in case it offered him a chance at getting out of this alive, he set the gun down carefully. "Now kick it over here." Forcing down a glare, Nick put his foot behind the gun preparing to send it over to the fox when a sudden idea hit him. Angling his foot slightly, he gave it a kick harder than necessary, causing it to clatter well past the second tod. Blood looked at him with a mixture of amusement and irritation. "Really?" Nick simply shrugged.

He folded his arms and leaned casually against one of the larger cages, trying to make Blood untense a little. Keep his claw off the trigger for as long as possible. "So what do you do here?" As expected, the casual question asked so randomly had shaken the other mammal out of his confident and controlling stance, instead being left slightly confused. Not knowing how to really handle the situation, all he could do was answer.

"I handle the tech aspect."

"Oh so you're the geek squad. Claw have you clean all the porn viruses off his computer? Maybe have you hook up the new printer?" It was a risky move pushing the fox's buttons when he was holding a loaded pistol, yet Nick could not help himself. He had been stuck in character for too long and his snark wanted to break out in full.

If it wasn't for the ears turning bright red, Nick wouldn't have been able to tell he hit a nerve until Blood started snarling in the back of his throat. "Those guys wouldn't be anywhere without me! No one would even know this whole thing was even happening!  _I_  set up the website.  _I_ figured out how to get the fighters. Those two eggheads are so stupid they probably are shot up with half a dozen tranq darts right now."

"Then you guys have something in common."

Blood's face twisted in confusion. "Wha-" FTEW! He staggered forward slightly, his mouth forming an 'o' in surprise. FTEW FTEW! Eyes rolling in the back of his head, Blood's paw opened and the gun fell to the floor, followed shortly by it's former holder. His nose smashed into the floor causing a puddle of blood to slowly pool beneath his head. But it was his back that drew Nick's attention. Sticking out of the vulpine's shirt were three darts, the fluid within them now absorbed into his bloodstream.

Slowly Nick transferred his gaze to the container behind where the other fox was standing. The tranquilizer he had sent clattering across the floor was being held at shoulder level, still aimed at the now unconscious mammal, but shaking slightly, as if the exertion of holding it was draining the mammal's strength. He could tell it was more about the nerves though as he slowly approached the young girl. Kneeling down, he carefully reached out and took the tranquilizer from her hooves. The kudu kept her eyes on the still body in front of her. Following her gaze, Nick leaned back over the fox and pressed his digits to his neck. Feeling a pulse, weak but steady, he turned back to the scared prey before him. "Bethany. Bethany." Reaching his paw through the bars, he placed it on her arm. She started violently but calmed at the sight of the fox who had come to save them. "Bethany. He's alright. He's just knocked out. Do you understand?" She gave a shaky nod. "Everything's going to be alright." Standing he looked over every mammal still stuck in a cage. "Everyone is going to be alright. The police are here. I'm going to open the bay doors and alert them where you are."  _You're all gonna be okay._

* * *

Back in the main room, the battle had turned bloody. Multiple mammals had been arrested, quite a few of them having been taken down by brute force rather than tranquilizers. More than a few officers had found themselves bested by their opponents. It hadn't occurred to them that the gamblers weren't all going to be soft mammals with deep pockets. Several of them had been world class fighters and were there more to watch the fights than to take the bets seriously. Delgato had needed Grizzoli to drag him outside after having his leg snapped by a cheetah with arms bigger than a tiger's. He looked to be a formidable opponent until Francine had stepped up behind him and wrapped her trunk around his neck. Being lifted ten feet into the air and slammed down onto a concrete foundation will stun just about any mammal regardless of their size and the elephant quickly capitalized by placing a foot on the cheetah's chest until they could cuff both his front and hind paws.

Judy meanwhile was zipping in between fights, delivering quick kicks to the back of the knees of anyone resisting arrest or attacking her fellow officers. A few of those who had gained the upper paw were dealt with by a large leap and a powerful hindpaw to the head, usually resulting in the offender collapsing to the ground unconscious. The shock at seeing an unknown rabbit helping them quickly wore off, the speed of which varied from mammal to mammal based on their ability to focus when surrounded by chaos, recognizing the black furred doe from the photo Bogo pinned up that morning. Thankfully they knew better than to call out her name in thanks as she was still undercover to protect her identity. Turning to find the next place she was needed, Judy clapped her paws to her mouth at the sight of a large bear raising a shotgun stock to his shoulder, the barrel aimed directly at the rhino currently slamming into a door that been barricaded against the powerful officer. Opening her mouth, Judy let out a cry towards him.

McHorn had been carrying out his assignment with more than a small amount of enjoyment. Rarely was he given the opportunity to let loose and use his strength to it's full potential. Since busting down the front door and trampling a few guards in the process, the rhino had spent most of the time slamming through overturned tables, exposing several mammals that had taken cover to hide from the SWAT team. McHorn had found a large group of the gamblers and several of Claw's employees hiding in one of the administrators offices and had barricaded themselves in with several large pieces of heavy furniture. He was making a bit of ground each time he slammed into the door but it was slow going. He was about to make another charge when a cry caught his ear. "Dwayne! Look out!"

Whipping around, the rhino saw a black doe whom he instantly recognized as his friend Judy pointing at something to his left. Turning to face whatever threat was coming up on him, the sight of the black bear wielding a shotgun was enough to give even him pause. A pause that lasted barely a moment before his eyes narrowed and spun on his foot to face the bear. A roar echoed through the room, the flash from the end of the muzzle catching the attention of several mammals nearby. McHorn was unable to get out of the way and felt the impact from the shot.

The bear's confident smile faded quickly into a look of nervousness as the massive rhino brushed his arm down the front of his armor dislodging the dozen or so steel pellets that failed to penetrate the thick protection. Glaring out from behind the bulletproof glass of his kevlar helmet, McHorn took a charging stance, watching as the bear pumped the shotgun, readying another shell. This time the shot was aimed high, the impact to his helmet making the officer flinch as his head tipped slightly back. While the steel balls failed to pierce his armor, his skin was not thick enough to escape some small bruising. Fed up with being peppered by the annoying bear, McHorn pounded his feet into the floor taking off towards the ursine. Too large to move quickly, the bear barely had time to mouth a curse before being thrown backwards into the steel wall, instantly knocked out when his head slammed onto the concrete floor.

Getting a thumbs up from the rhino, Judy returned the gesture and turned to find another criminal. The sight of a long tail and a large fluffy mane filled her with a rage so strong she was amazed she wasn't blinded by red, watching as the lion dashed out the ruined door. Judy moved to give chase only to stop dumbfounded as the ringleader of the league came flying backwards though the opening and slamming to the ground. Jerking her away from the hurt mammal to the overly large opening McHorn had created, Judy's jaw dropped in shock as Chief Bogo stalked into the room.

While Bogo was often seen as a hard ass with an ever present scowl on his face, usually accompanied by a beet red complexion whenever he was dealing with Nick, it was often hiding some form of fondness for his officers. This time, the only thing on his face was a look of pure rage. A hatred like none anyone had ever felt from the buffalo swept over them like a wave, instantly making both officer and criminal alike cower as he passed. A leopard made the unfortunate mistake of getting in his way and found himself flying through the air only to smash through a table, the effort barely making the intimidating tower of muscle flinch. He had eyes for no other mammal except for the lion, currently struggling to get up.

Sensing someone approaching him from the rear, Manely spun around, his speed impressing even Tammy who was currently tangling with a large wolf as Lylah stepped up to grapple the canine from behind. While close to the same height, both combatants were built very differently. Manely, as a large cat, had superior speed and reflexes. He was also quite strong and had sharp claws at the end of each paw. Bogo meanwhile had the advantage of height, even if just an extra inch or two, however he also had a very large advantage in weight. His skin was much tougher and would not be easily broken by claws or even teeth. He possessed much more strength and was trained to take down perpetrators much bigger than the lion in front of him. It would be a battle of strength vs. speed, and they both had a feeling how it was going to end. The lion did not like his odds.

With an almighty roar, Manely charged at the buffalo, hoping the sound would momentarily rock the large beast while he made an attempt to slash at his legs, figuring that if he weakened the base, the tower might collapse. However, his plan had required the the Chief be easily intimidated, something he was not in the slightest. As he lowered his shoulder, bracing for the impact, the lion realized his mistake and tried to change course. However at his speed, turning in time was a sheer impossibility. The very thing that gave him and advantage had just cost him the first major blow.

His face slamming into the broad shoulder had Manely seeing stars and the edges started to turn black. It took all of his concentration to stay conscious but as a hoof closed around his throat, he almost wished he hadn't. Bogo lifted the stunned cat off the floor and formed his other hoof into a fist. The sudden speed of the buffalo's arm caused the air to be forced from Manely's lungs, the shot hitting directly beneath the solar plexus. Gasping for air, the lion barely saw the next shot before it connected right below his jaw.

Spitting out a tooth, a reflex action given his current state of mind, Manely attempted one last ditch effort, extending his claws and raking them towards Bogo's face. Hold his higher, just out of reach of his paw, Bogo let out an uncharacteristic bellow and stomped over to one of the few remaining tables left in the room. Keeping his hoof tight around the cat's neck, Bogo lifted him as high as he could reach and slammed him through the table.

Judy, who was watching the entire scene unfold in awe of the mammal she had always looked up to finally showing what he was capable of, had her attention suddenly drawn away from the fight towards Fang, the arrogant tiger who also served as Manely's lapdog. The second big cat was currently stalking up behind the buffalo, both sets of claws outstretched as he silently made his way towards the Chief. As much as Judy despised the lion for all of the cruelty he had inflicted upon others, including herself, she knew the striped feline had played many parts in it as well and chose to focus her anger towards the one who had shoved her through a cage to get beaten.

Charging at the mammal herself, Judy let loose some of the restrained instincts she had finally gained control over. A predatory shriek left the bunny's lips and made the tiger whip around only to see two hindpaws smack into his face before he collapsed to the floor, several sharp teeth having been chipped in the process. Standing over him, she kicked him twice more in the head.  _One for me. One for Jade. I know it's not the jackass in charge, Jade, but I think it's a promise still kept._

Bogo had spun around sharply at the cry that came from behind. He himself barely had time to register the black form flying through the air before it smashed into the tiger he hadn't heard behind him. Not only he saw the bunny kicking the mammal in the head did her realize his smallest officer had just saved him. Sending her a nod of approval, she returned the gesture before her eyes grew wide and a silent 'O' formed on her lips, her gaze going past the buffalo.

The Chief had only just begun to turn when he felt two sets of sharp claws penetrating his back. Feeling them push downward, opening the wound further, Bogo hunched over dragging the lion on top of his back, the claws preventing him from dislodging. A sudden high leap, something Judy did not know Bogo could even do, and a lean back, the cape buffalo slammed his back against the concrete, the lion pinned beneath him. The sudden wave of pain had Manely ripping his own paws free, something that the Chief took with a single grunt. Climbing up off the mammal, Bogo hissed in pain as the blood ran freely down his back. He had a feeling he was going to need stitches. His wife was not going to be happy about that.

He started to head towards one of the SWAT personnel to get a pair of cuffs for the lion when a noise behind him made him pause. Glancing over his shoulder, Bogo saw the lion climbing steadily to his feet. He snorted, having had quite enough of the predator. Spinning around, he charged the mammal just as he regained his footing and swept him up. Bellowing loudly, Bogo ran for the pit and leapt over the edge. An almighty crash that felt as if it shook the building greeted Judy as she ran over and peered in. The Chief was standing over the lion whose leg was pointing at a very odd angle while his tongue from out of his mouth. The buffalo looked upward seeing the concern on the black doe's face. Noticing the steady rise and fall of the lion's chest, Judy felt a mixture of relief and disappointment, which she knew she should chastise herself for but she'd worry about that later. A dropped radio nearby suddenly crackled to life, alerting all officers that all of the guards and employees of the league had been detained and nearly all of the gamblers. The one over the radios also reported that the captive mammals were being released from their cages.

Bogo went to respond only to find his mic had snapped in half at some point during the fight. Judy simply smirked as the Chief waved at her and she tossed down the recovered radio.  _It's over._

* * *

"Are you sure this is such a good idea, Carrots?" Even though the raid had happened several hours ago and they were both completely exhausted, Judy had not been willing to let them go home. There was something she desperately needed to do and it had taken her quite a while to convince Nick to go along with it.

"I'm sure, Slick."  _God it feels good to call him that again. And not just in the hotel room._ "I have to do this." Making their way down the white hall, Nick couldn't help but look at his wife's rear. They had not had the opportunity yet to eliminate their disguises so she was still in her black fur. He had to admit that as much as he wanted to see her back in her beautiful gray, he wouldn't mind having one last go with a black bunny writhing beneath him.

"Won't this kind of...become complicated? I mean the last time you interacted it didn't go over so well." Having reached the door they would need to go through, Judy turned to see her mate with a concerned look on his muzzle.

"Don't worry, Nick. I know what I'm doing. And don't forget to call me Harley. We're still technically hiding out." The tod could only give her a smirk and a vague wave of his paw, signaling for her to enter first. Pulling the handle down, Judy pushed the slightly heavy door open, only needing Nick's help at the start. There in front of them, propped up by several pillows far larger than she was, lay a gray bunny with striking green eyes who was staring at them with a mixture of fear and amazement. "Hi Jade."

"W-what do you want?" The tremor in her voice made Judy feel terrible. Because of her ridiculous condition and uncontrolled instincts, she had frightened the poor doe out of her mind for a few moments. Only the fact that she regained control kept her from killing what she saw as a threat. Her paw was on the nurse call button almost instantly, ready to press it at any moment.

"I'm just here to apologize." Those words were obviously not what the rabbit had been expecting. Her eyes had widened considerably and her digit slipped from the button in shock.

"A-apologize?" Judy used the confusion to get a little closer to the bed without spooking her. Before the gray bunny had recovered, she found she had a bedmate sitting no more than three feet from her.

"Yes. I need to apologize for the way I acted. I have a...condition that makes me very territorial about my mate."  _Her mate? Why would that have been affected by anything I was doi-,_ her train of thought was cut off as the fox who had remained near the door moved up to stand behind the black bunny, resting his paws on her shoulders. Judy leaned her head back, relishing the touch.

"Oh. OH! He's your...your  _mate?_ " Jade felt like a fool as Judy and Nick both nodded. The closeness for each other that she had seen, the sex in the storage room, the way she immediately became enraged when she mentioned trying to steal...him... "Oh my god. I-I am so mortified! I never meant-, I mean I would never-, oh god. I tried to break up a marriage!" The mated pair could only look on as Jade openly wept in front of them. As Judy had told Nick long ago, while rabbits played the field when younger, once a mating happened they were faithful to their mate. For another rabbit to try and break that up for their own selfish gain was almost shameful.

"Jade, hey. It's okay." It took a few minutes for her to calm down, but eventually green eyes met the blue of Judy's contacts. "You didn't know. We kept it quiet because we didn't know how the league would handle it. And after finding all of those caged mammals I really don't want to think about it."

"Oh! Those poor mammals. I heard one of the nurses talking about it when I woke up. I want you to know I had  _nothing_  to do with it! I was only there to fight just like you were." The panic at being thought of as a mammal trafficker for illegal deathmatches was written clear as day on her face, almost as bad as when she realized she nearly interfered with a married couple.

"Don't worry. I don't think anyone suspects you of anything. I just wanted to stop by and say how sorry I am for how I attacked you and for what happened in the pit." A black paw reached out and carefully wrapped around the gray one nearby. "We're going away for a while. See the country, take a break from all this drama. City living, am I right?" That got a small smile from the doe and a chuckle from the vulpine behind her. "I just wanted to see you and tell you that I was sorry before we left."

"I'll accept your apology if you accept mine, Harley." The black doe listened attentively as the gray rabbit seemed in earnest. "I should never have come between you and your mate. That's unacceptable of me and I hope you can forgive me."

Judy couldn't help but beam at the bunny. Even with everything that happened, she couldn't hate the rabbit anymore. They were no longer opponents. She was no longer a threat to her mate. She was merely another doe. "Get some rest, Jade." Nodding, her eyes drooping closed and a small tug at the corners of her lips, Jade lay back and started to drift off. The two mammals quietly made their way out and back into the hallway.

"Where to, Slick? Home?" The vulpine surprised her when he shook his head.

"Not yet. There's a mammal at the end of the hall who I need to see. She saved my life and the lives of all the other captive mammals tonight and I need to thank her. And she'll probably be pretty happy to see you too, Carrots."


	36. Chapter 40 - A New Point of View 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, announcement. I recently suffered a concussion which is why I've been absent from the update pool. Doctors orders to stay away from computers and smartphones.
> 
> I'm back with another kitteh chapter featuring Tammy and Lylah. This will also be the last one with them in the headliner spotlight. Enjoy.
> 
> Disclaimer: Note to self, next time a red haired lass offers you a piece of cake, DO NOT EAT IT. I'm typing this with bear claws and it's not going so well.

Though she had never been dodging a hail fire of lethal ammunition like cops did in the movies, Lylah imagined it had to be similar to what she was currently experiencing as she ducked under another dress being flung across the bedroom. Half in amusement and half in fear, the tigress looked at the overly excited feline knee deep in the closet, smirking as she continued to mutter to herself while her arms windmilled, sending clothes flying backward at an alarming rate.

"I'm gonna need this. And this. Ugh, I hope I don't need this." Holding up a t-shirt, she grimaced before sullenly tossing it onto the already overflowing suitcase. "How many bathing suits do I need? Lylah!" Staggering to her feet, Tammy cursed when her head became wrapped up in a hanging dress. "Lylah! Where are you?! I need hel-" finally ripping the dress off, she caught sight of the striped feline across the room currently clasping s paw over her mouth. "Quit gawking and help me. We have to go tomorrow morning and I'm not nearly done packing!"

"Well if you had packed yesterday like I told you, or even this morning rather than spending two hours at the mall picking out sunglasses, you wouldn't be panicking the night before." Moving over to the panicking cheetah, she gave a comforting stroke along her arm making the big cat melt. "Now, let's get you packed so we can get some sleep. We have to leave at six to make the boat." Lylah moved over to Tammy's suitcase and began to empty it, then sorting through the unnecessary clothing she had haphazardly tossed into a messy pile. "How is it that you're the organized one where I end up trashing the apartment, yet when it comes to packing you are an absolute nightmare?" She laughed as Tammy gave her a shove, barely moving the larger feline.

"You hush. I'm just excited. I've never been on a cruise before." Grabbing the tigress, she hauled her in for a strong kiss. "I don't know how you kept it a secret all this time, but it was so exciting to find out  _why_  Bogo gave us a week off," she said as she moved back towards the closet, leaving a stunned but pleased cat behind her. Tammy didn't dare reveal to her kitten that she had known about the cruise for months and kept up the act of being completely stunned. She knew Lylah had been trying so hard to keep the trip a surprise and she wasn't going to ruin it for her. "Now, do you think I'll need any t-shirts? What about bathing suits? Well obviously bathing suits but which ones? And dresses! Am I going to need those? What do I wear on the ocean?!"

Holding up her large paws, Lylah couldn't help but chuckle. "Slow down. Okay. As for t-shirts, it can sometimes get cool out on the water so you may want a couple but we'll most likely be spending our time in the water so don't pack too heavy. Now, swimsuits, you're gonna need most of them I suppose. Keep you from wearing the same ones every day. Oh and grab the pink one. You know the one with the tiny straps?" Tammy gave her a lust filled smile knowing  _exactly_  what she was talking about and why. "You um, you may want to take your little black dress as well. I may have," she coughed trying to keep her voice very quiet while rubbing the back of her head, "made reservations at the restaurant for a dinner."

Tammy leapt at the tigress, this time knocking the surprised feline off her feet and back onto the bed. Leaning down and letting her tongue travel across the striped cheek beneath her, she snuggled into her fur. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

Lylah let her own tongue travel between the cheetah's ears. "You foolishly let Trisha talk you into it." They shared a laugh together before spending a few minutes more laying on each other before getting up to finish the rest of the packing.

Though neither cat had ever experienced a cruise, Lylah had done a bit of research online about what to expect as well as asking her step-father Bob about the ones he had been on. His advice had been to show up as early as possible, something most travel sites recommended as well. While rooms could be quite spacious on the upper floors, the hallways tended to be extremely narrow and getting trapped behind other mammals trying to get into their own rooms could be quite a nightmare.

What Lylah had failed to tell her girlfriend was that some very special arrangements had been made for their vacation and when they were moved into a separate line to board the ship, Tammy seemed none the wiser as she was focused more on the actual ship rather than the gangplank they were ascending. It was only when they had made their way into a rather elaborate and wide hallway that the cheetah realized it was somewhat different than she imagined. Movies and television renditions of cruises aside, her common sense was telling her they were higher up than what would be normal.

Following the striped tail flicking about in front of her, Tammy couldn't help but admire the tigress's swaying hips, wanting to reach their room already so she could make good use of the bed in there. So distracted was she that when Lylah had stopped suddenly she plowed into her back. As large as the striped feline was, she barely moved while Tammy let out a low grunt from the impact. Peering over her shoulder, Lylah gave her an amused smirk. "You don't have to get all pushy. We're here."

Glancing over to the side, Tammy was excited to see the door she had failed to notice before. Gripping her suitcase even tighter, she began bouncing on the balls of her feet, eliciting a chuckle from the tigress. With a large striped paw, she swung open the door revealing a large and elaborate suite. Completely in awe and only vaguely aware of the awkward smile being directed at her, Tammy slowly entered the enormous chamber, taking in everything there was to see. The entrance area was nearly the size of their bedroom which they quickly placed their stuff down in before heading in further.

It didn't take much exploring for the cheetah to be convinced that this was not a normal room on board. Every brochure and every travel site had shown moderately sized rooms, much like a one bed hotel room. This was large enough to be considered a high-end apartment in it's own right. Tammy finished running her paws over the very spacious and modern kitchen, one outfitted with appliances even they didn't own before to turning to her partner. She looked adorable the way her head was tilted down and to the side, her face with an almost bashful smile trying to keep her eyes from flitting away. "It's not too much, is it?" the tigress asked softly. It had been one of the concerns she had in regards to purchasing the enormous suite. The other had been financial. It had wiped out nearly all of the secret savings she had been accruing towards the vacation, but she felt it was worth it.

And when the smile lit up her girflfriend's face, she knew it had been the right decision. "I think it's perfect." Looking into the bathroom, she took in the sight of the very large jacuzzi tub more than big enough for the two felines. Glancing over at the tigress with a sly smile she had to mention the other thought in her mind. "Must have cost a lot, too." The slight wince from Lylah told her enough but she didn't push the issue. This was Lylah's decision, Tammy reasoned, so it was up to her to spend what she wanted, though she did it was a bit extravagant. At the site of the balcony overlooking the ocean, she was suddenly okay with extravagant.

"I know it seems a little...grand, but I really wanted our first trip together to be memorable." Hearing the nervousness in her voice, Tammy turned to look at the bashful feline. The way her eyes kept flicking about the room without directly settling on her face was, in her mind, too cute.  _Thankfully Judy isn't anywhere near this boat right now. I swear that bunny can_ hear _you say that word even in your own head._

"Oh Pretty Kitty. You know perfectly well that anywhere we go and anything we do is always memorable. There's not a day that goes by that I don't remember as long as it's with you." Reaching her paw out, she caught Lylah's in her own and interwove their digits together. "You're everything in the world to me, my beautiful tigress." She stepped back while clapping her paws excitedly. "Now. I don't know about you but I feel like having a dip in some nice hot water."

Lylah chuckled as she watched the cheetah enter the bathroom, looking as if she were ready to get into her swimsuit and get to the pool or maybe the hot tub as soon as possible. "Hate to break it to you, Flower. But the pool area doesn't open until we put out from the docks."

A sound of running water hit her sensitive ears before a pair of small shorts and a pair of panties landed directly on her nose. "Who said anything about the pool?" Looking at the clothing in her paw and hearing the water flowing, Lylah put two and two together and quickly moved into the bathroom with a lustful growl, eliciting a playful squeal from inside the room.

* * *

"Oh my god. Look at all this food!"

After having spent quite an unorthodox amount of time in their suite's jacuzzi, having drained and refilled the tub with hot water three times, the two had barely had enough energy to dry off and crawl towards the bed. Sleep had been the only thing on either of their minds though it did not keep them from a few light kisses and some heavy nuzzling before getting comfortable. They had missed the boat launch while they had been 'relaxing' in the hot water, something which both of them had wanted to experience, though it was not such a great loss in either of their minds and by the time they had woken, it was near the end of the lunch buffet.

Famished, the two had quickly dressed and took off running down the halls, Tammy giggling like mad as Lylah chased her batting at her tail. Once or twice she had managed to get a paw on it causing her to squeal happily before using her speed to leap ahead of the tiger, keeping her just out of paw's reach and letting the game continue. It took nearly crashing into one of the ship's stewards for them to halt their play and simply stroll the rest of the way towards the banquet area, tails intertwined.

Once they had entered, their growling stomachs demanded they head directly for the lunch table and load up with as much food as they could carry. Grabbing herself a hefty selection of chicken wings and a slice of swordfish, something she had never eaten before but was definitely eager to try, she looked over in amusement at her partner's plate. "You know, they have  _other_  food besides sandwiches, Flower."

"Sandwiches first. More food later," the reply came, the feline's maw practically drooling at the sight of so many sandwiches piled on top of each other. Chuckling to herself, Lylah maneuvered them towards the refreshment table before selecting two ice waters. After their earlier activities, rehydrating now was their best way to avoid a headache later. Because it was near the end of the lunch, they had little trouble finding a small table to themselves in the middle of other couples sharing a more intimate setting.

Moving to pull Tammy's chair out for her, she was a little shocked to not find her standing nearby but was instead at the other side of the table, pulling out Lylah's own chair. Though Tammy enjoyed how doting her tigress was on her, she couldn't help but play a few games with her sweet manners. More than once had she pulled the chair pullout card that both amused and frustrated her partner, but a wink of an eye usually left her grinning and shaking her head. Lylah wondered if Tammy's playfulness being so similar to Nick's that it was easier for her to handle and appreciate it after having been stuck with the vulpine for six months, but it never failed to keep her amused.

After taking their seats and devouring half of their plates, or in Tammy's case the  _entire_  plate which she immediately refilled though this time lacking the heavy dose of sandwiches, they slowed their consumption of what the ship had to offer in favor of light conversation. The first thing out of Tammy's mouth had been something she was curious about as soon as she had learned about the cruise.

"So why now? I mean, why the cruise all of a sudden?" She wasn't sure what sort of answer to expect but a boisterous laugh wasn't it.

"Sudden? Oh Flower, you have no idea. I've been trying to get this to happen for  _months_. Every time I think we finally have a week free something happens and cuts it out from under us. I've had to reschedule twice, the last being the undercover op we had to raid." Nibbling on her last chicken wing, she deposited the bones onto a side plate. "Thankfully the cruise line is extremely understanding in regards to cops chaotic schedules otherwise the rebooking fees alone would have cost almost half of the cruise itself."

While Tammy had known about the cruise long ago, she hadn't realized the date had needed to be switched not once, but twice due to their job. She supposed Lylah was a bit better at keeping secrets than she thought as that must have taken a fair bit of coordination between the cruise company and Bogo on dealing with their vacation time. "Well Pretty Kitty, I certainly am impressed."

"Why? Because I was able to juggle everything?"

"Nope. Because you were able to hide it all from me." The two felines shared a chuckle before leaning over the table and sharing a playful kiss, one which began to immediately get more passionate which they quickly broke, not feeling it was worth getting kicked off the cruise because they mated on the dining table during the lunch buffet. Breathing a bit heavier, the two sat back down, their cheeks flushed.

"Disgusting." The word, while said quietly from the next table over, still attracted the attention of the two officers. Turning their heads, two pairs of eyes landed on the haughty sneer coming from the brown rabbit only a few feet from the tigress. Noticing the embarrassed look on the tan doe seated at the table with him, they exchanged a quick glance, a plan already forming between the two of them.

"I must be hard of hearing." Tammy leaned in a bit closer to the buck, noting the twitchiness of his nose and the slight dilation of his pupils that told her he was merely mastering his fear, not that he was immune to it. "Did you say 'disgusting'?" At the hesitant nod, Tammy drummed her claws on the table, inwardly enjoying the flinch from the small prey mammal. "And what exactly is 'disgusting'? That we were kissing in public? Get over it. That we are the same sex? Deal with it. That we're different species? That ain't none of your business. So which is it exactly?"

Seemingly gaining back his courage, the buck who must be nearing his fiftieth year judging by the gray in his fur, swallowed hard but kept his haughty sneer in place. "All three, you sick deviants. Bad enough we have all that depravity back in the city but now us  _normal_  mammals can't even escape you freaks out here?"

A quick double tap of Tammy's claws told Lylah to be ready for some improv. It was one of their favorite games to play with small time perps to draw out an easy confession. Taking out her badge, something the tigress had not even seen her pocket nor did she see where she would have kept it in the small dress she was wearing, she flashed it at the buck whose expression turned from overconfidence to confusion to slight fear. "Sir did you know that we can have you confined to the brig for the rest of the trip for hate crimes?"

Spluttering while the blood drained from his face, the rabbit seemed about ready to faint while his date had a horrified look on her face. "You- you can't do that! We're not in Zootopia anymore! These are international waters, you have no jurisdiction. And this ship doesn't even have a brig."

Grinning evilly now, the cheetah flashed her gleaming teeth, which Lylah was surprised was clear of any sandwich residue considering how many she had inhaled. "While the ship doesn't have a proper 'brig' I'm sure the storage room will suffice for the next two weeks. As for jurisdiction? Officer Forrest, would you care to do the honors?" Tammy turned towards her tigress, giving her a big wink and a small kiss in the air that the two lagomorphs missed as they had also turned their gazes to the second officer.

Sighing inwardly at having been put on the spot, she played along knowing that Tammy was having far too much fun antagonizing the speciest mammal. "Article 613.4B, subparagraph 5. ' _In the event there are no federal agents or marshalls on board, the duty falls to any officers of the law that is represented by the flag being flown. In the absence of any law enforcement personnel, it becomes the captain's prerogative to handle any laws broken while at sea."_

"Now, as the current flag being flown is of Zootopia and we are both officers of the law, we can arrest you and toss you in a holding area, in this case a storage closet, for the remainder of the trip for speciest as well as same-sex hate crimes. _"_ Tammy held up her paw to silence the rabbit's incoherent rambling. "Or, and I stress this vehemently, we don't hear another word from you regarding any couple of the same sex or different species again. Savvy?" Pleased with the frantic nods from both mammals, she glared at them. "Now leave. Your lunch time is done."

Tammy watched with elated satisfaction at how they scrambled and ran out of the room, the buck so flustered he dropped a fifty on the table for a tip probably making the bus mammal's day. Turning back to her girlfriend, she grinned widely. "That was quick thinking, Pretty Kitty. That law almost sounded real."

"That's because it  _is_  real, Flower." Eyes widening in shock, Tammy tilted her head eliciting a chuckle from the tigress.

"Seriously? That's a law? God you're worse than Judy."

"Jeez, Tams. I don't know if the insult in that sentence outweighs the compliment." Sharing a smile and leaning in for a quick kiss, the two turned back to their meal. "By the way, you can't charge someone for speaking their opinion, even if they're being an asshole."

"Oh I know that," Tammy said. "But  _he_  didn't."

* * *

Though she was a mammal well attuned to the sand and the heat, the spotted queen did not have a real problem with water. She was far more comfortable with showers and pools than she was with lakes, but there was something about the vastness of the ocean that both thrilled and frightened her. So it was with much appreciation to her lover for choosing the island getaway option rather than scuba diving or the shark tank experience. Now, with the two of them aboard a motorized dingy being sailed to a remote island a fair ways from the cruise ship, Tammy could fully appreciate the salt air whipping through her fur.

"So this island. It's just the two of us, yeah?" Standing at the bow, Tammy watched as several schools of fish parted for the boat before regrouping behind them in their wake.

"Yep. I got the first day reserved so it will be just you and me. They'll swing back by to pick us up in the morning." Getting signaled by the driver that they were nearing the drop off point, Lylah grabbed their supply bag. While the cruise ship would deliver them to the island, it was a small and deserted area with no fresh water and only coconut trees for shade. Neither of them were too concerned with the heat, both of their species used to high temperatures, though the humidity levels they were accustomed to varied greatly.

Pulling up alongside the beach, Tammy looked for a dock only to see nothing but bare sand in either direction. She turned to question her tigress but saw her powerful striped legs swinging over the edge of the boat and striding through the shallows towards the beach. With a humored glance at the captain, an amused wolf roughly their own age, she leapt over the railing and started moving as fast as she could lift her legs through the surf. Deciding to give the canine a bit of a show, she stripped out of her clothes revealing a very tiny bathing suit. The howl from behind her brought a smile to her face as well as had Lylah turning to face the boat just in time to see her beautiful girlfriend leap from the water to knock her over onto the sand, locking their lips together and grinding her hips into the tigress. This got another howl from the wolf as the boat pulled away eliciting some loud and boisterous laughter from the two felines when they finally had broke free.

"Think he liked the show?" Tammy teased, tickling Lylah's ears with her claws.

"Who?"

Chuckling, the cheetah started bathing her lover in long strokes of her tongue. "The boat driver."

"We had a boat?" Unable to contain herself at the confused look on her face, Lylah burst out laughing, making Tammy groan and giving her a light tap to her shoulder.

"Jerk. For that, you have to hang the hammocks while I go catch some rays on the beach." She started to head away when a low growl had her whipping around to see the feline crouched on all fours and ready to spring. "No. No don't you dare. Pretty Kitty, no no no no NO!" Using all of her natural speed, Tammy sprinted down the beach with a grinning tigress in hot pursuit, her paws itching to tickle the soft fur on her girlfriend's sides.

* * *

Laying together on the beach as they watched the sunset, Tammy's head on the white furred chest of her lover, it was the perfect end to a perfect day the cheetah thought. After stripping down to just their bare fur, they spent many hours splashing in the ocean, soaking up the sun, and enjoying each others bodies for hours on end. There were many good ways to spend a day relaxing and recharging on a vacation, and her Pretty Kitty certainly had found the best one. She was content to simply sleep while cuddled together on the sand rather than climb into the hammocks.

For Lylah it was a much more delicate matter. For her the day was not yet over and everything hinged on this moment. She had a feeling she knew the outcome, but her nerves had skyrocketed with each minute that past. Lylah was shocked that Tammy hadn't sensed something was off the way her heart must be racing and her breathing becoming labored. With the sun making ready to vanish beneath the horizon, Lylah steeled herself for something she had been thinking and dwelling on for months. "Flower? I need to ask you something."

"Mhm?" Her response, sleepy though it was, still showed enough alertness to be roused. Giving her a slight nudge, Lylah half rolled the drowsy cheetah onto her side.

"I need you to stand for this, Tams." Strange a request as it seemed to the feline, Tammy stumbled to her feet, still slightly out of it and trying to rouse herself fully awake. It was when she opened her eyes that the sight before her had her eyes opened wide, her mind now fully engaged. In front of her was her tigress. Beautifully bathed in the last light of the day, her nude form taking her breath away. But what really had left her speechless was that the striped feline was kneeling in the sand, an open black velvet box in her paw. Within sat a gold band topped with a diamond. "Tammy, we've been together for a long time. And in all those days I've never once imagined my life without you. I want to make it so I never am. I love you with every fiber of my being and I want to spend every day with you by my side. Will you mar-oof!" She had not been able to make it through asking before she had been tackled to the sand by the blurred form of the cheetah now pressed against her, their lips sealed tightly against one another. Pulling back, Lylah managed to gasp out a few words in between smothering kisses. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!" Each 'yes' had been punctuated by another hard kiss before they broke apart enough for Lylah to slip the ring on her finger. She gazed at it in joy before snuggling against her tigress, her  _fiance_ ' _s_  chest. The last rays in the sun hit the stone and split it into brilliant lights, capturing her eyes. Closing her eyes in contentment, she had started to drift off again before snapping them open again. They had spent the better part of the day naked, and indeed they still were now. Which begged the question... "Hey. Pretty Kitty? Where were you hiding the box?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: So there you have it. The last kitteh centered chapter for Savage. They will still be in the story but taking a backseat to the Wildes. Their tale is done. You will still see them occasionally in Sweet Treatment however ;)
> 
> And that brings me to another note. Fans of Ghostly and FtS will have to wait for updates as I will be focusing on Savage Bun Bun for the time being. I apologize for the delay on them but it's a necessary evil I promise.


	37. Chapter 41 - Fragile Balance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one answer to a review this time, and that's what nearly EVERY review asked: Where did she hide the box? Considering I got my inspiration for that from Deadpool, I could go along with the gross idea, but my actual outline was it was hidden in her clothes which she quickly took off and bundled up near where they eventually laid down and she simply palmed it when Tammy was occupied. (Other idea, it was hidden in a body cavity but ugh!)
> 
> Disclaimer: So, I managed to make Mr. Iger, CEO of Disney, a fan of my work. I now am holding the characters hostage in exchange for the rights. Mr. iger decided to call my bluff. Well Bobby, I'm not the bluffing type. You were warned...

Being a police officer was one of the proudest things about Nick Wilde that he actually loved about himself. Each and every morning he woke to pin the badge to his chest while straightening his tie, still keeping it loose and casual. He wished his mother and father had still been alive to admire and feel proud for him, but he had to live with knowing they  _would_  be, and that was enough. All of the others he knew had been impressed by his turn around and had been as much proud of him and he had been for himself. Yet none of them could equal to her. His partner, his best friend, and most importantly his mate. The small, beautiful, and dare he say  _cute_  bunny that continued to be a part of his life even in his dreams. Until that morning of course.

"I can't believe Buffalo Butt gave you the day off and not me. I call prejudice. Prejudice against foxes! Against hotness! There's gotta be some rule against denying me the day off simply because the Chief's wife was admiring my ass." He turned to look at the mammal that had captured his heart, more than a bit envious as she laid in bed still, wrapped in the covers he yearned to be next to. He didn't fail to miss the grunt of annoyance and the roll of her eyes.

"She wasn't looking at your ass, Slick. She was checking to see if she damaged your tail when you walked in front of her. She's probably just as interested as avoiding an insurance claim as we are so be thankful we didn't have Bogo bringing us into his office for  _that."_ The two of them let out simultaneous shudders at the thought of how that sort of meeting would go.

"Hmph. I still say I should have gotten a day off too. I mean we  _are_  partners after all. I go where you go." Pausing in adjusting his collar, he looked at Judy in the mirror. "Think he would buy that?" Knowing how her mate would keep going with ideas, she knew she had to shut it down before he made himself late with his schemes.

"You know I didn't  _ask_  for the day off. It was mandatory. Chief said I haven't used enough of my vacation days and I'm gonna lose em next month so today is a forced relaxation. You know better than anyone how much more I would like to be out there than laying around the house watching tv and going shopping. And you already used your last sick day when you caught 'Trunk itch' which isn't even a disease you can catch. So just be happy he gave up trying to argue with you and you got to go to the early showing of 'Wonder Bunny.' Which you still haven't taken me to by the way." Giving him her patented bunny eyes, she pouted her lips letting them tremble.

"Ah! No! No bunny eyes. I'm already taking you this weekend, alright? Ugh." Placing his paw over his eyes, he then pinched the bridge of his nose. "You gotta spoil everything, don't you Carrots?" Judy, who was in the middle of as much of an excited fist pump while still snuggled under the blankets, paused in her celebration.

"Oh calm yourself, Slick. You aren't as sneaky as you think you are. I found the tickets two days ago." Giggling at the expression of surprise on his face, Judy flopped open the covers and hopped out of the bed. Nick had difficulty keeping his eyes focused on his task and not the nude form of the bunny in front of him. "Now. I'm going to go pour you a travel mug of coffee and  _you_ are going to get your fluffy tail to work, cause I'm not facing the Chief's wrath about you being late because you spent your time ogling mine."

"But it's such a cute tai-."  _Why? Why did you say that? You dumb, stupid fox._ Watching his mate turn towards him, he couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his back at the look she gave him.

"What did you call my tail?" she said, her tone deceptively sweet.

"Me? I said it was pretty. Beautiful even. Totally  _hot_. I never said nothin' about it being the 'c' word." He busied himself with his tie, unwilling to look at his mate for fear of being stabbed with the daggers flying out of her eyes. "Hey wait a minute," he cried out, a thought flitting through his mind. "I thought I had immunity to the whole "c" word deal?" A quiet giggle had him turning around sharply to see his bunny clasping her paws over her mouth.

"Oh you do, Slick. I just like watching you sweat."

* * *

"You ever stop to think that you may have chosen someone to spend your life with that could easily destroy you? I mean more than just leaving you and breaking your heart. Like they could literally pound you and tear you to shreds?" Having spent most of his morning staring out the passenger side window and joking around with his temp partner, after their lunch break Nick had gotten hit with a minor epiphany that he was complete out of his element with his mate on a physical level. It wasn't without merit, he mused. Pound for pound, the bunny cop was the toughest mammal on the force and was capable of handling most, if not all, of her coworkers in the sparring ring. He had bested her a few times, but that was out of  _dozens_  of matches and he swore she let him win a couple of them. Turning towards the driver seat, his small smile became a large smirk at the sight of an unamused timber wolf glaring at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I sleep every night with a tigress, Nick. I'm pretty sure I don't have to  _think_  about what I know is reality. Far too often I wake up trying to avoid pointy bits being aimed at  _my_  bits." The two mammals had finally come out to their coworkers a few months ago, tired of dodging around and trying to hide it, which they apparently thought they were doing perfectly as their crestfallen faces when no one even batted an eye, instead greeting them with knowing grins, had shown.

Today was a rather unorthodox patrol. Normally Freddie and Liz would be working on their cases, the duties of a detective never taking a break, however it was one of those rare occasions where it did in fact take a break. Fangmeyer was currently at the ZPA giving a lecture on following evidence trails and, as there were no free detectives to partner with and no backlog of cases to work on, Wolford had been teamed up with the red fox for the day.

Thankfully it wasn't something either was opposed to. While obviously they were much more comfortable with their usual partners who happened to be their mates as well, the two canines were good friends. Probably the closest in the ZPD. So it was an easy decision for Bogo to make to team them up with each other, knowing it would get probably the two most troublesome mammals in his precinct out of his horns for the day. While good friends, Freddie and Nick were constantly at odds over who was the better prankster and who could be the most annoying to work with. So far most of the force put them at a comfortable tie, something which did not sit well with either canine.

"So what brought up this train of thought? Normally you're not the deep-thought type, Nick. Something going on between you and the missus?" Wolford wasn't overly concerned with the two's relationship being in trouble. He had never seen two mammals more in love than the fox and bunny, not even he and his tigress though he'd say they were a close second. They did occasionally experience a time when they would be at each others throats over something most felt was trivial, though it wouldn't last too long and most of the force knew to avoid the storage closet in hall M when they would disappear for a while or bother their cruiser if they signaled going dark at a random time.

"Nah, nothing like that Wolfie. Carrots has just been getting more agitated these days. Her control slipping on occasion. Nothing too severe," he quickly reassured his friend. "Just a few minor flashes. She started going back to the Oasis meetings for the self-help 'guru' thing." He let out a chuckle at that. "It's rather amusing honestly. A lot of the mammals who show are ex-convicts. One a couple weeks ago was a zebra we put away. It took us a good half hour to convince him we were there for the class and not for him." Wolford let out a bark of laughter of his own imagining that scenario.

"Well, it's bound to happen. You two have put away quite a few. Almost rivaling me and Liz to be honest. Surprised Bogo hasn't promoted you guys to detective yet. God knows you'd probably solve all the cold cases on your lunch break." While he was exaggerating, he honestly wouldn't put it past them. The duo had a surprising knack at following clues and hunches to the eventual conclusion in record time, often finding things most others had missed.

"Well, that  _is_  the plan Carrots has been working towards since she was a kit, but for now we'd probably turn it down. We're far too happy being ordinary beat cops. Gives us a bit more freedom to chase down all kinds of cases, though it  _would_  be nice not to have to worry about parking duty anymore. I swear the Chief is just waiting to bust me and give me a month's worth of ticket writing."

"Well what do you expect? He knows it was you that covered the podium with clear superglue. He just can't prove it." A shiver ran up the wolf's spine at the memory of watching the cape buffalo ripping the podium in half to free his hooves. The snickers in the room had died at that point, none of them wanting to risk the Chief's ire which seemed to have reached legendary proportions that it had even Francine shrinking away.

"It  _was_  pretty good, huh?" Nick's smirk returned in full force eliciting a shake of the head from the timber wolf.

* * *

Placing down her glass of white wine in favor of her house salad, Judy couldn't help but think for such a lavish restaurant the two mammals were seated at, well more like  _six_  she mused gazing around at their entourage of polar bears, the quality of the food was rather lacking. The wine, while being more than a thousand dollars a bottle she'd wager, was rather bland and weak from her experience. Her salad was also slightly wilted telling her the lettuce had either been stored improperly or was simply old. However, she was there as a guest and did not wish to insult her friend, especially how important she was to her.

"How's your father doing these days, Fru? I haven't been able to see him in a while. Not since Nicky was born." One of the first friends she had ever made in the city was the complete opposite of anyone her family would expect, given how strict she had been about the rules of law. The daughter of the most notorious crime boss in all of Tundratown was not someone they would have envisioned being such close friends with the first rabbit officer of the ZPD. Yet for all of their differences, the two had sparked an immediate bond between them, acting more like sisters than just close friends.

The arctic shrew in question was currently devouring her second grasshopper pot pie. Judy always found it amusing that Nick would constantly get on her case about being able to eat so much because of her fast metabolism, yet it was her friend who was the real glutton, though that wasn't really an accurate term as it was necessary for her to survive. One of the few things shrews had unfortunately not lost in their evolution was the need to consume so much food. Fru, just like all of her family, needed to eat every few hours and ingest almost three times their body weight. Fru was especially needy as she was now pregnant with her fourth child.

"Daddy's doing great, Judy. He's at home with the grandkids today. He just can't get enough of them, even Nicholas's godson. In fact," she leaned in conspiratorially beckoning the bunny closer, "I swear Nicky is his favorite. He may end up being who he plans to take over the Family when he's gone." Though Judy and Nick had been able to convince Mr. Big to at least scale back his operations, he still was involved and oversaw many illegal activities going on in the city. Thankfully they, along with Fru, had managed to get him to promise to stop icing mammals. She still wasn't happy with the 'enforcing' his bears would sometimes issue out, but at least they were only to other criminals and there was no longer any murders being committed in the study. Fru for her part stayed as far away from the family 'business' as she could. She had no taste for illegal activities though growing up living in such luxury had made her unable to give up the wealth such a lifestyle required.

"Well I'm glad to hear that. I had heard that he had recently been seen at the hospital for a heart issue." Though she did have a problem with Antonio Big's criminal background, she still considered him family and did not want to see anything happen to him. He was getting up there in age and she couldn't help but worry for his well-being. She made a mental note to stop by and see him when she had a a bit of spare time.

Fixing her with a suspicious glance, Fru tapped her little claws on the table. "And how pray tell did you hear about that? We made sure to keep that perfectly quiet. Only the necessary mammals at the hospital were infor-...Ah. I see. Sarah blabbed, didn't she?" Familiar with the Hopps sisters living in Zootopia, having met them on several outings together, Fru knew Sarah, as the lead emergency surgeon, would be kept up to date on Mr. Big's medical conditions in case he should need emergency attention. She didn't stop to think that she might tell her closest sister about her father's condition.

"She was worried about him, Fru. And about me if I found out the hard way." Suddenly nervous, she wrung her napkin in her paws unwilling to meet the shrew's gaze. "You know with my condition what would happen if that was suddenly sprung on me. This way I'm a little more...prepared should the worst happen. Your father is important to me, Fru. Just like you are and little Judy, and Nicholas, and Anthony."

Hopping down from her chair perched on top of the table, Fru scurried over to Judy and wrapped her arms around the bunny's paw. "Don't worry, Judy. I'm not mad. I'm happy that you consider us to be that important to you. But no more peeking into daddy's medical records, okay hon? He won't like it and the last time daddy got upset like that would cause him to be, he cut me off from my credit cards for a month."

"Oh no. Heaven forbid you had to forgo buying up half of Rodento Drive for a few weeks. Other mammals might actually get to purchase something. The horror!" Her mocking tone managed to get a rare laugh from one of the polar bears surrounding them causing Kevin to be shushed by Raymond with a harsh jab. Fru gave her a look, half annoyed and half mirthful before nipping her digit playfully.

"So what's left on your day, sweetie? We shopped all morning and I know you have to go after this lunch. So how else are you keeping yourself occupied? Because I know you are the only mammal in Zootopia that hates the idea of a day off." While Judy wished she could give the shrew a retort, something to prove that she could enjoy taking time off work, she knew it would be a lie. Though she was enjoying spending time with her friend, the idea of  _not_  being in uniform had been making her antsy all day long.

"I actually am headed to see Doctor Bales. I need to talk to her about some issues I've been having with my condition and control. The past few weeks have been a bit harder to clamp down on it. I um...I kind of snapped my teeth at a vixen cashier ogling Nick a couple nights ago and she called the precinct to report a bunny acting aggressively. She didn't know who I was but she was justified. It's kinda why Bogo wanted me to take a day." Reminded that the appointment was at the start of the afternoon, Judy quickly glanced down at her phone, noting that she had roughly a half hour left before she needed to get across town. "Up for some dessert?"

* * *

"Z183 to Z117, come in please." The russet paw currently holding the radio mic was tapping against the device rapidly, his movements chaotic and jittery as if in great need of something. Thankfully he did not have to wait long.

_"Z117 here. Go for Forrest."_

"Oh good. Whiskers, I had to ask you something very important. Do you have a second?" There was a long pause over the channel but eventually a hesitant voice came through.

_"Yeah Foxy. We're looking at dead streets here. Is something wrong?"_

"Well, I suppose it's not 'wrong' per se. But it is definitely vital." A less hesitant but more concerned voice answered him back.

_"Alright. What is it?"_

"Where did you hide the box?"

A complete silence came over the radio, causing Nick to grin overly wide, waiting for the inevitable moment wh-

_"She TOLD you?! I can't believe you told him!"_

A different voice, somewhat muffled from the distance away from the mic answered back.  _"I didn't tell him. I told Judy."_

_"Oh. You told Judy. And you didn't think she wouldn't tell the fox?! They tell each other everything!"_

An argument now forming between the two felines, unaware the line was still open, Wolford turned an amused face towards the vulpine. "What's all that about?"

"Oh those two came back from vacation engaged," this wasn't new to the canine as everyone had seen the ring on Tammy's paw when they had returned from their week off, Lylah also now having one to match. "What they neglected to say was  _how_  Lylah asked. Apparently while on that deserted island, they were also naked for almost the entire day and Tammy couldn't figure out where she had hidden the box. When Carrots told me that I filed it away for just such an occasion."

Feeling inspired, Wolford quickly grabbed the mic from his paw and clicked it on, sending his voice out over the frequency. "You were naked while proposing, Forrest? Where were you hiding the box?!" Another long pause greeted them, the tigress having fallen silent for a moment.

_"He just told you too, didn't he Freddie?"_

_"Wow Forrest, that's certainly a way to go about proposing. Very grand."_ The all-too familiar voice of their lion co-worker flashing over the radio told them all that their conversation had been limited from car to car and instead had gone out through the whole network.

_"Oh my god. Everyone heard?! Flower? Please kill me now."_

_"Can't do that, my Pretty Kitty. Love you too much."_

_"Oh don't worry yourself, Lylah. That was both a very romantic and erotic proposal."_ Francine's unmistakable presence over the air waves had Lylah's face buried in her paws, though no one save for Tammy could see it.  _"Though I gotta ask as well. Where did you hide the box?"_

A fair amount of laughter came over the radio from multiple officers all listening in. With a final screech the poor feline went silent after vowing to not answer any questions from the fox ever again. Still chuckling heavily, the two canines sighed heavily as a red sports car blew by them going nearly thirty over the speed limit. With a flick of the lights, they took off after the vehicle, gratified that it slowed down and pulled over. With the shift nearly over, neither of them anted to engage in a high speed chase that late in the day.

"Don't worry, Wolfie. I got this one."

Wolford chuckled as the vulpine exited the cruiser. After taking the last several stops, the timber wolf was more than happy to let his temporary fox partner be the one to put paws to pavement. Entering the license plate into the computer, Wolford put an eye on his partner, watching how he interacted with the driver. There was something about the fox that most citizens responded to, and not in the negative way most fox were still seen as. His calm and charming demeanor usually won out over angry heads resulting in far fewer disorderly arrests and more passive traffic stops.

Slightly distracted by his thoughts, Freddie barely heard the ping the computer had made. Grinning at the way Nick was casually leaning on the stopped car door, he quickly glanced down to see flashing letters, red and bold on screen. With his eyes wide, Wolford launched himself out of his seat and partially out the window, not even bothering for the door. "Nick!"

Sauntering up to the car, Nick was somewhat amused by the resemblance to his first traffic stop on the force. His close friend, Flash, had been driving a car much like the one if front of him now. Admiring the chrome detail, Nick continued up to the driver's side window, noting that the tint was several shades darker than was legal. It was however rolled partially down, granting him a view of the very stoic looking ram behind the wheel.

"Evening sir. I don't suppose you might know why I pulled you over, do you?" Not getting a response, he adopted a casual smirk while leaning over the car. "Don't worry, take your time. I got all night."

"Nick!" Whipping around at the sudden yell, the tod was shocked to see Wolford jumping from his window in a blind panic. Nothing, not even when his last undercover sting went bad, had he seen such a look on the timber wolf's muzzle. "That's Tommy Riley!"

All police officers throughout Zootopia had heard of Thomas Riley. The ram was a notorious hitmammal who did not discriminate against targets. He had males, females, and even kits on his record but his specialty was in taking out predators, something he offered a discount on for his services.

In what seemed like slow motion, time moving almost as if slogging through molasses, Nick turned back to the car, only to see the barrel of a large revolver aimed at his chest. The flash, while blinding to both canines, lit up the interior of the car showing the deranged scowl on the mammal's lips. "Filthy fox. You I'm fine doing for free, pelt." With that last slur, the car took off again, tires peeling on the tar. Nick stared at the disappearing tail lights for another long second before turning back to Wolford, intent on getting back into the cruiser to chase after him. The look of horror on the wolf's face brought him up short, the eyes directed at his chest.

Slowly looking down, Nick saw his uniform quickly turning red. He was confused for a moment, unsure of what had just happened before the pain hit him like a wave on the rocky shore. He tried to let out a yell, a scream of pain, but all he could do was gasp as the air refused to flow. Catching him as he fell, Freddie picked him up before racing back to the cruiser and triggering his radio. "Officer down! Officer down! Shots fired at Eighth and Main-…"

* * *

Across town, standing in the kitchen of their high-rise apartment, Judy was sipping a cup of tea, relaxing after the day she had been having. Though Bogo had given her the day off, making it mandatory, she found the silence far more stressing than anything she could see out in the field. Luckily, Fru had been able to join her for a girls day on the town made all the better by running into Trisha while shopping. Though the bunny had been unable to join them for lunch with Sarah getting off work at that time, they had quite a lot of fun and Judy and returned with a fair few more risque clothing items bagged.

All that time out before heading to the hospital to speak with her doctor about her bond had made the bunny long for home and, nearing dinner time, had Judy taking the car back to their skyscraper apartment complex. Feeling a bit famished, she quickly reheated some leftover veggie lasagna while she kept a close watch on the clock.

Nick should be getting home shortly, she thought excitedly. His shift should be over at six. Trying to keep her mind occupied, Judy flipped on the news, not really paying attention to the commercials currently playing. She mainly just wanted some background noise as she paced in the kitchen, fiddling with her paws nervously as she reflected back on the appointment.

_'Mrs. Wilde, I'm not really sure how to go about this. Your situation is very unique and the recent development with your condition could be a problem. We're not saying there's a large risk as no one has ever seen this happen before. A scent bond is a very tricky thing and with your bond being to a predator it's even more complex.'_

It wasn't until the news came up behind her that drew her attention to the television. "-of the ZPD has been shot."

_'Obviously there is no treatment for such a change nor should you be concerned. It will certainly be an experience for sure and I doubt there is anyone who would have experience with this sort of thing that you could speak to. Staying calm will be critical though.'_

"During a confrontation with one Thomas Riley, a known hitmammal wanted for extreme crimes against the citizens of Zootopia-"

_'I'm sure this will be a very trying time for you, Mrs. Wilde, but with what I know, you have quite a lot of friends and family there to support you.'_

"-one of the responding officers was shot in the chest. He has been reported to be in critical condition as has been taken by ambulance-"

_'Suffice it to say though, congratulations Mrs. Wilde.'_

"Again, for those just tuning in, Nicholas Wilde, the first fox officer of Zootopia, has been shot."

_'You're pregnant.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: Here's one of the rare occasions where Savage and Sweet Treatment overlap. Tune in to the next ST chapter to find out what happens.
> 
> Update/Clarification: The Sweet Treatment chapter is not required reading, but more for a "behind-the-scenes" look before continuing from Judy's perspective in Chapter 42.


	38. Chapter 42 - The answer to life, the universe, and everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So here it is. The conclusion you have all been waiting for and threatened me over. I was tempted to write a 3rd cliffhanger but figured someone would eventually find me. So without further ado, here is the Disclaimer!
> 
> Disclaimer: 'Sing' just came on Netflix and me and my kids love it. Another awesome humanoid animal movie. Brilliant songs and some really funny moments. But no Nick or Judy. 4/10

The only thing she could hear was the steady but rapid heartbeat within her chest. The only thing she could feel was a rumble from beneath her as tires encountered small potholes in the road. Her vision was clouded, blinded by unending tears. And the pain. Such pain within her that never ceased. Never lifted. Encompassing her whole being and keeping her mind a prisoner. She was unable to think of anything beyond her fox and the kit she now knew was growing within her.

The silence surrounding her was both a blessing and a hell. She wanted something to break through, some sort of sound that she could focus on and try to drive away the thought of what her mate might be going through. Yet her equally silent driver seemed to be under the impression that she wanted to be alone. That any words sent her way would bring catastrophe.

Looking over at the large feline, Judy could not help the feeling that washed over her of wanting to embrace Liz. The tigress, who had been heading back from the Academy seminar, had quickly radioed that she would be going to pick up the distraught bunny once Nick's condition had been said over the airways. She was the logical choice since she was not currently on assignment and the apartment complex was between the station and the Academy so it was a rather quick trip over. It had taken several minutes however to get Judy to open the door as the rabbit had withdrawn in upon herself.

Opening her mouth to address her fellow officer, Judy found herself unable to form words that would express her gratitude for being there for her. Words of any sort failed her. She just sat there, mindlessly staring at the striped cat, her mouth hanging open flashing her buck teeth into view. Yet try as she might, her voice simply refused to obey. Seeing the movement out of the corner of her eye, Fangmeyer turned ever so slightly in order to see the bunny while still keeping an eye on the road. It was all too plain that Judy wanted to speak but was unable to. That's when Liz decided to give her an opening.

"I know you're not doing alright, Judy. Nobody would be. But are you able to handle it?" Knowing the full lengths of what the bond did to the rabbit, she couldn't help but be concerned more than most of the officers who did not quite know the whole story. Worried about her charge, she tried to put forward an understanding smile, though it was fairly strained. Nick was her friend too and she was upset as well, though showing those particular feelings would not go over well with the rabbit right then she knew.

"I...I don't know," she admitted honestly, a slight waver in her voice showing her worry. After a short pause, she began again though this time her voice was strong and changed the subject. "I don't know much of what happened. Only what the news reported about him being shot by some mammal." While her words did not end in the upward tilting tone normally reserved for a question, Liz could almost sense one in there.

"Freddie and Nick pulled over a ram tonight. Thomas Riley." Judy's head snapped up quickly, her action a drastic change from the aura of misery she had been projecting all night. Every officer knew who Thomas Riley was and not a single one there would lose an ounce of sleep if they had to put a bullet in his head. "Nick took the ticket though the way Freddie explained it they were going to have to tow the car. He um...he walked up and had the driver roll down the window. Freddie tried to yell out but before Nick could dodge it he was struck down." Seeing the widened eyes from the bunny next to her at being told how her mate ended up on the news she quickly elaborated. "He's on the way to the ER. They have him it all prepped for him. He's going to be fine, Judy. You know him. Probably just milking it so the Chief will give him a few days off."

That last part earned her a small smile from Judy, though it did not quite reach her eyes. Watching the doe slip back into silence, Liz decided it was best just to get them to the hospital quickly so she could be told more. Though it was a violation of code and Fangmeyer knew that any other day Judy would even write her a ticket, she flashed the lights to get drivers out of her way so the trip was not interrupted by traffic jams and long lights. How distressed the bunny was was clearly evident when she did not even wince at the use of the police emergency lights.  _She's in rough shape_ , the tigress thought, worried for her little friend.

Before too long, the bright lights of the ER sign bathed the two mammals in it's hideous glow through the darkened windshield. Though to Judy it was as a beacon, shining on the hilltop. Bringing word of her mate. Before the cruiser had been even put in park, the passenger door had opened and closed, a small gray figure dashing through the dark and towards the double doors of the hospital she knew was just one turn away. As she rounded the corner however, her distress faded into the background as disbelief swarmed into the forefront. Before her stood nearly forty mammals, all dressed for the weather and surrounded by cameras held by others. Microphones were shoved into her face and flashes of light blinded her.

"Officer Wilde, can you tell us what is happening with your husband?"  
"Was he shot because he is a predator?"  
"Is he involved with some form of organized crime ring?"  
"Do you know who did it?"  
"Has the shooter been aprreh-"

A bellowing roar, a snarl lacing it with menace and anger, cut through the words of the reporters and they all turned to see a large and imposing predator standing tall with a gold badge hanging from her belt. "All of you get out of the way! You will let Officer Wilde enter the building and disperse immediately." Ushering the rabbit inside and away from the lights, Fangmeyer placed herself between Judy and the mob behind her before turning and standing in front of them.

"We have a right to be here!" The voice of the male otter was surprisingly loud for someone of his size and did not go unnoticed.

Leaning down, her overly malicious grin flashing many large and sharp teeth, she ran an eye over the mammal so many more times beneath her size. "It's for your own safety, mister reporter. I suggest you get back in your vans and wait until we contact you with information."

"Are you threatening us?" This time it was a female rabbit whose words rang out from the crowd, her microphone held high in defiance but unable to keep her nose from twitching in fear.

"I would do no such thing. However, as I'm sure Mrs. Moones can attest too," Liz motioned towards the back where a striking white wolf was standing in front of a camera, now blushing at the eyes on her. "Being mated can cause some mammals to do some rather unorthodox things, especially those mated to canines. So giving Mrs. Wilde a bit of space would be a good idea. Wouldn't you agree, Tabitha?" The wolf, once again being viewed by her colleagues from other news stations, quickly had her camera mammal gather his gear and headed back to the truck in haste, knowing that if the bunny was anything like a wolf, or fox as the case may be, getting in her way when her mate was injured was a very,  _very_  bad idea. Especially when said bunny was ZPD's first rabbit officer.

Grudgingly, though not without some muttered cursing and glaring looks at the tigress, the group of reporters packed up and they too left. A few stayed behind but with the mob gone, Liz knew it was safe for her to head inside as well. While her mate had not been injured in the traffic stop, she knew she would find him inside, most likely handcuffed to a chair so as to keep him from throwing himself back into the operating area to see his friend.

* * *

Though the waiting area was void of almost all patients, something which was surprising in and of itself, it was by no means empty. More than twenty mammals of all shapes and sizes and species, were gathered around the room. Some standing in groups of twos or threes, others sitting while tapping on their phones as a distraction. Blue uniforms everywhere with black ties and shields on their chest. Judy walked in feeling like she was entering the bullpen more than a hospital room. Most of the gathered officers were from precinct one, however she saw several from other districts who had either known the vulpine or knew  _of_  him and held him in high regards to show up there. She knew they had to all have been close by and on light assignment or off duty at the time of the call in order to be there, which made her reason she would soon be joined by much more company.

Disregarding the waves and reassuring smiles sent her way, Judy headed straight for the reception area. She was desperate for news on her husband. An arctic fox sat at the window, his face holding a rather bored expression. With so little to do, the canine had all but clocked out in his mind. The only interesting thing about his shift had been the large amount of cops in the waiting room, something that only happened when one of their own had gone down. The fact that it was a fox officer made the receptionist a bit pleased, not because he had been shot but because it proved something about foxes to the rest of the city. That they were also capable of laying down their lives when needed. The five minutes of excitement that had accompanied him however had worn off and he was back to wallowing in boredom.

Judy hopped up on the chair in front of the window and rapped her knuckles on the countertop. "Excuse me. I need to know if Nicholas Wilde is alright." The new distraction jolting him from his daydreams caused the white canine to lean over the counter and peer down at the small bunny.

"Sorry, miss. Only family and the Chief of Police is privy to that information." Seeing the look of anger flash across the bunny's face while a small snarl came from her throat had the mammal leaning backwards away from the savage rabbit.

"I'm his  _mate!"_ The fox was about to scoff when his eye caught the silverish band on her digit. Tilting his head slightly to get a better look, he was almost able to see a mark on the side of it. Judy, seeing his gaze headed towards her paw, lifted it into his view clearly and turned to ring to show the emerald fox head inlaid into the ring. "Yeah, that  _is_  what it looks like."

His head still tilted in confusion, Judy almost felt amused by the fox, though her spirits were far too dashed for that. With a discreet sniff of the air, the arctic fox caught the unmistakeable scent of the red currently out in the OR surrounding the small mammal and the flash of silver on her paw was further proof of her claim.  _I'll be...a mate ring. Never see one of those anymore, and on a rabbit no less._ "I'm afraid he's still in surgery. I can have the surgeon come speak with you once they are done but that's the best I can do. I'm sorry, Mrs. Wilde." Her head drooped, the small bunny whispered her thanks and headed over to a chair, her legs suddenly feeling very shaky.

With nothing left for her to do but simply wait, Judy crawled up into a chair meant for larger mammals than she and curled up into it, laying her head onto the seat and staring off into nothingness. Alone with her thoughts, she began to imagine all sorts of different outcomes. Some where Nick came out on his own perfectly fine. Others where she would be wearing a black veil before she too perished. Unconsciously her paw ran itself down to her stomach, laying it gently on what she knew would be a bulge eventually. She was growing life inside of her. Life created by her and her beloved fox. Life that would be extinguished if both she and Nick died. Gone before it had a chance to live. Looking around at all the officers nearby, she moved her paw away. It would not do to get good wishes and congratulations from her colleagues and friends if they were soon to depart this world. No. She would keep this secret until she knew of Nick's recovery.

Fangmeyer, who had been right behind Judy after dealing with the reporters outside, came into the waiting room to see her friend laying on the chair, stretched out and quiet. Deciding that she should let the bunny be for now unlike in the car, the tigress scanned the room until she found her wolf, his head hung low and his mood somber. Weaving through the collected officers, Liz made it to a chair next to the canine and pulled him into her lap, cradling her mate against her chest. Small whines escaped from the lupine but no one turned to see or made a face at the show of emotion. Nearly everyone was feeling something similar to varying degrees.

Several officers came by to try and comfort Judy, though to the rabbit their words were muffled white noise, just static in the background. It didn't take them long to realize that none of them were going to have much luck bringing her around. That is until a very welcome sight came through the door.

Quickly glancing around, the new mammal swept the room for the only one she was there for. Their eyes met several pairs but none of them were of the rich violet she was searching for. Eventually a break in the crowd when a hippo sidled to the side revealed a long gray foot hanging from a chair. A sad smile crossed the face of the newest visitor while they moved swiftly across the room, aware that there were several large officers in the room that could possibly kill her if they weren't careful. Finally reaching her goal and clambering onto the chair next to the bunny, they reached out a brown paw to stroke Judy's ears. "Hey sweetie."

Focusing on the voice, the first welcome sound she had heard in what felt both like seconds and years at the same time, Judy lifted her head just enough to catch a glimpse of the brown bunny sitting beside her. "Trisha." The words, softer than any other mammal in the room could hear, were perfectly clear to her friend who spread her arms wide. Struggling to her knees, Judy used the last bit of energy she could summon to collapse into her friend's outstretched arms. All of the pain and anguish of the night overwhelmed her and she finally let the tears fall.

* * *

She was unsure how long she wept but eventually there were no tears to be shed. All she could manage was a few dry heaves and even those stopped in the end. Trisha had done her best to comfort the doe, but there was only so much she could do besides be a shoulder, or this case a lap, to cry on. All she was able to give the grieving bunny was a few soothing words and a gentle brush of her fur and ears until the hiccups had faded. Now she sat and watched while Judy walked back and forth across the waiting room.

The gray doe could do nothing but dwell on worst case scenarios. That Nick might never wake up, or even make it through the surgery, never stopped flitting through her mind. It did nothing to calm her already frantic state and only served to make it worse. Unconsciously she put her paw to her belly as her thoughts switched to the life growing inside of her.  _Nick has to survive. Not just for him and now not just for me._

Feeling eyes upon her, Judy raised her eyes to see her sister staring at her somberly from across the waiting room. Rushing towards her, Judy wrapped her arms around her sister and squeezed as tight as she could. "Please tell me he's alright," she whispered.  _Give me good news. Give me anything at all. I just need to know he's okay._

Squeezing her back just as tightly, Sarah opened her mouth to speak but found her words failing her. So overwhelmed with everything that had happened in such a small amount of time, she found herself barely able to stand and could feel Judy's knees wavering as well. "Let's sit down..."

At those few words, Judy's heart fluttered at what that could mean. Trembling, she leaned on her sister for support as they made their way to a free bench. Though the bench was made of aged and cracked wood, neither doe felt the tiny slivers of wood poking at their clothing. Nothing mattered except their locked gazes on each other and the steely eyes of the mixed rabbit. "Don't sugarcoat it, sis. I need to know. Is Nick okay?"

Sarah drew in a deep breath, mindful of how chaotic Judy's emotions could become at the drop of a hat. Taking both shaking paws in her own trembling ones, she gave her sister a soft smile. "He's gonna be okay, Judy."

A wracked sob escaped the doe's throat before she launched herself forward, wrapping her arms tightly around her sister's neck, squeezing tight as tears tracked down her cheeks, only this time they were of relief. "Oh thank god. You saved him, Sarah."

"He has a long road ahead of him, Jude. I'm not gonna lie. The injuries he sustained were bad. He won't be going home any time soon." Judy waved her paw flippantly.

"I don't care if he's home tonight or tomorrow or a week from now. Right now the only thing I care about is that he  _will_  be home." Closing her eyes and letting out a deep sigh, she all but collapsed with exhaustion. "You said he would be awake in the morning? Okay. That's good. I need to head home. I-." She paused, stopping her paw from straying.

"I understand, sis. Probably pretty exhausted. Almost as if you could sleep for two, huh?" Sarah gave her a wink as Judy's head shot up in surprise. Turning towards her girlfriend, the painted bunny called out to the other doe currently laid out across the chairs. "Trisha, honey? Can you drive Judy home? She really needs to get some rest."

"Oh sure! I can totally do that!" Neither Hopps nor former Hopps girls could understand how the brown doe could suddenly be bouncing up almost instantaneously from being asleep, though Sarah knew from hundreds of mornings worth of experience that she was a nightmare in the morning if you tried to wake her before nine. "C'mon cutie. Let's get your fluffy butt home. Your foxy boy toy will be alright by morning and you can jump him then," she joked cheerfully, overjoyed to hear what she had while eavesdropping. Wrapping her arms around the gray bunny, Trisha hauled her to her feet and started leading her towards the door.

The two does had almost reached the exit when a large cape buffalo appeared in the doorway, his face grim. The sight of Judy's tired smile however gave him a bit of hope, knowing that if the news was bad there would be no force on Earth that would be able to drag Judy Wilde from her husband's bedside. Spotting the surgeon he had unfortunately come to know far too well, Bogo headed for the rabbit in blue scrubs who met him halfway, eager to tell him about his officer.

The ride home had been rather one sided as Trisha seemed unable to contain her glee, chatting wildly and occasionally trying to draw out any juicy stories about the two of them which was met with a silent but amused roll of the violet eyes next to her. While not wanting to talk much, Judy was more than happy to entertain her friend's cheerful attitude after having her own mood drastically changed by her sister's good news. All she could really imagine was what she would see the next morning when the door swung open wide and she found her fox laying on a bed in front of her. Unable to contain her glee, she barely noticed her paw now tenderly rubbing her belly. Trisha however missed nothing.

"Oh. My. God. Judy? Are you pregnant?!" The shock on the doe's face was enough to confirm it and Trisha let out a happy squeal, suddenly losing focus on the road while unceasingly staring at her friend's stomach, imagining the bump she'd be showing soon. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"I only just found out today. Yesterday? I don't even know what time it is. I was getting ready to tell Nick over dinner but then the news reported him being shot." Trisha couldn't help but wince at the thought of Judy getting some of the best news in the world at the exact same time as one of the worst. "Right now only you and Sarah know. I didn't tell either of you, is there something I'm doing that just screams "Hey, I'm pregnant!' to the world?"

"Well hon, if you want to keep it a secret, you gotta stop rubbing that belly all tender and happy like. We know you're hot and built with steel abs, but no one would be as narcissistic to look at their tummy the way you are." Judy cocked her head and focused her attention on her paws, finding that she was indeed caressing her belly.

"Okay, noted. I'll have to keep these paws under control." To demonstrate that, she raised her hips and slid her paws under her and sat on them heavily. "I don't want to tell anyone until I can have the chance to tell Nick."

"Well I can promise that mum's the word from me. No one will get anything from me," she said confidently as they pulled into the parking garage of Judy and Nick's apartment complex. "Not even my name."

"Trisha, I think half the city knows your name," Judy joked rolling her eyes.

"Okay, so half the city won't get even my name." She rushed around to the side of the car and started helping Judy get out.

"Oh get off," she jokingly scolded the brown bunny. "I don't even show yet. I'm good enough to get out of the car and walk to my home." Trisha couldn't help but smile mischievously while following Judy through the lobby to the elevator.

Trisha had to stifle a yawn that threatened to dislocate her jaw it was so large. She had a feeling she would need to pull over if she tried to head home. "Would you mind if I crashed on the couch tonight? Sarah won't be leaving the hospital, not with Nick there and I really would prefer not to have to drive back to an empty apartment."

Judy beamed brilliantly. Her mood had changed so much in the last hour that nearly everything seemed to make her happy. "Of course, Trish. You know you can stay here whenever you need. But not the couch. If you don't mind, could you be in our bed with me? I really would appreciate some bunny cuddles right now."

"Oh you got it!" Trisha cracked her neck dramatically. "I'm a championship cuddler! Took first place all three years of bagpipe camp." Judy had to force herself not to sigh.  _Of course you did._

* * *

Though the night should have been agonizing, missing her fox and knowing he was in the hospital recovering after being shot, it surprisingly passed rather quickly. Her dreams went uninterrupted by nightmares or worries and instead were filled with the comfort of her friends and the well wishes of their ZPD family. It helped that her best friend had been willing to stay the night her, although the welcomed comfort was dampened a bit when she discovered how loudly Trisha snored. She decided Sarah must either be exhausted whenever she got home or was the world's heaviest sleeper.

Despite having a rather interesting sleep, the doe was up before the sun had even begun to creep over the horizon. Deciding to let Trisha get enough sleep before they headed for the hospital, Judy took a quick shower before throwing on Nick's favorite outfit. She would never understand the appeal her farmer pink plaid shirt and jean shorts gave the vulpine but since it was so comfortable she didn't really mind. It took another thirty minutes to leave, twenty of which was spent trying to futilely wake up the brown rabbit. Only the smell of a strong cup of black coffee managed to rouse the sleeping bunny who was quickly chastised for 'taking her sweet time under the covers'. Judy was desperate to get to the hospital as fast as possible knowing her fox was going to be awake waiting for her.

She had a sneaky suspicion that Bogo had informed all of the officers on duty the make and model of her car as she passed by multiple cruisers going well over the speed limit yet there were never any flashing lights pulling up behind her. She simply sent out a silent thanks to her boss while pushing her luck weaving in and out of traffic. To her side Trisha had a death grip on the panic handle, her eyes shut tightly as she was unable to experience Judy's driving without letting out scared squeaks. It was therefore a blessing when the two does finally pulled into the ER parking lot, Trisha leaping from the vehicle and hightailing it to the sliding double doors before Judy had even put the car in park. Shaking her head, the gray doe locked the doors and headed into the building.

She was surprised to see many of the officers from the night before still waiting in the lobby. It both made her feel pleased that they all had such a strong bond together yet guilty at having left, even though she knew that with the pregnancy that staying and being worked up for hours was not healthy for either of them. Giving them all a genuine smile and a hearty wave, her mood much different than the night before which they were all pleased to see, Judy headed straight for the reception area. "I'm here to see my husband, Nick Wilde."

A tired looking camel cow blinked at the sight of the rabbit having announced herself to be the wife of the fox officer before something registered in her sleep befuddled mind. "Right. You must be Judy Wilde. Sarah mentioned you would be coming in this morning. She's currently dozing in her office but Mr. Wilde is down in recovery. Room two-twenty six." She keyed the lock on the automatic door letting it swing wide for the bunny to enter. "I'll buzz Sarah so she can meet you there."

Judy thanked the kind mammal and headed into the hallway. She was all too familiar with the ER department having been there for injuries to herself or fellow officers and had visited her sister on dozens of occasions for lunch. As such the sight of the cougar at the nurses station filled her with a bit of extra happiness she was feeling that morning. "Hi Jo."

The feline sat up with a jolt, her attention pulled from the stack of paperwork in front of her. Leaning over the countertop, she caught sight of two black tipped ears and immediately leaned over further. "Judy! Well good morning to you. Here to see Nick I imagine." It was a foolish question but Joanna had been trained to inquire as to who visitors were seeing so often that it was simply an automatic response.

"Yep! Room two-twenty six, right?" Joanna gave the small rabbit a nod.

"Yep, that's him. He's been the epitome of a model patient." Judy gave the cougar an amused stare, holding it until the feline burst out laughing. "Okay, okay. He's been a colossal pain the ass but we love him just the same."

"Now  _that's_  the fox I married. Thanks Jo. I'll be in there waiting for Sarah." The two exchanged farewells and a wave before Judy headed down the hallway and stopped in front of the room. She raised her paw to knock to ask if he was decent before stopping herself.  _If he's decent?_  She slapped her paw over her face.  _Decent. What the hell, Judy. How many times have you seen him in all his glory? There ain't nothing you haven't seen before._ Ditching the thought of being courteous, she simply opened the door and walked right in.

The sight of her fox hooked up to so many machines hit the doe hard and if it weren't for him sitting up and beaming at her she would have broken down and cried. As it was she had to choke back her tears before running straight at her mate and leaping into his bed. So focused on her lips meeting his, she missed the strangled yelp of pain from his muzzle. She was disappointed to feel him break the kiss and surprised to suddenly be lifted off his chest and set to the side of him until she saw the large bandage covering his chest.

"Oh sweetie. I am so sorry. Are you okay?" Nick grimaced by the words coming from his lips were steady.

"I'm okay, Fluff. Just still hurts is all."

"As well it should." A voice coming from the doorway had the two turning their heads to see Sarah, her face twisted in anger and frustration. "Nick, you were just shot. No one should be near your chest, especially not my hormone driven sister." Sighing heavily, Sarah stepped up and sat on one of the doctor's stools. "I need to go over your injuries, Nick and how you need to treat them." Locking her brilliant pink eyes on his, her expression softened greatly. "The bullet punctured your lung on both the front and back sides before plugging in an artery. We had to remove it and stitch you back together. And it took a very long time so you better not screw it up or I'm gonna be very pissed."

Sarah was in the middle of her discussion on treatments at home when there was a knock on the open door. All three mammals turned to see a cape buffalo cow standing in the doorway, looking a bit uncomfortable but keeping her eyes glued to the fox.

"Ah Beth. I wondered if you were going to show. Nick. Judy. This is Beth. She got the bullet out of you and helped me keep you alive last night." Nick gave her a grateful smile and a short wave but Judy leapt from the bed and ran across the room to hug the large mammal as tightly as she could.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Beth." Her eyes, ever the vigilant cop, scanned the buffalo only to fall on her name tag. "Bogo?" she questioned, unsure if the two buffaloes were related.

"Yeah, the Chief is my father." It was a bit of a shock to the two officers who knew very little of Bogo's family life though they did know he was married and had children. How many and who they were though was a mystery to pretty much everyone. "He speaks of you two often. Especially you Officer Wilde. Umm, Nick that is. 'Biggest pain in my backside I've ever met' was how he often described you."

Nick wiped away an imaginary tear, putting on a grand smile. "He really does care." Judy gave him a tap on the arm but one that was very light, mindful of of what her sister had said.

"Umm, Mr. Wilde? I would really like to talk to you, if that's alright?" Nick tilted his head in thought before finally nodding. Sarah got up and gave Beth a pat before turning to her sister and brother in-law.

"I'll be back later you two. Behave yourself, Judy." The gray doe stuck her tongue out at her sister causing the white rabbit to respond in kind. The two of them laughed before Sarah headed out the door.

Dragging a large chair from the corner next to the bed, Beth sat down and looked at the vulpine, almost with a reverent stare. "You probably don't know who I am, besides being Bogo's daughter but I've known you my whole life. My dad, who would really be considered my uncle if not for one fateful day, has told me the story so many times I could recite it by heart." She wrung her hooves together and took several deep breaths. "Twenty six years ago, I was a young calf. Barely a year old. There had been a fire in our apartment building. My birth parents died there." Nick's eyes had widened while at the same time he felt as if his heart had fallen into his stomach before rising up into his throat. "A courageous mammal rushed in to the building, putting his own life at risk and found me. He could have left me and saved himself, but he didn't. Your father saved my life, Nick. And I know there's nothing I could do to ever repay that debt." Her gaze had fallen to her knees, unable to look at the tod. It wasn't until the feel of a paw around her hoof that she risked raising her head.

"Beth, if you think you haven't done anything to repay that debt, you are so mistaken. Not only did you save my life, which pales in comparison to this next part, but you are honoring my father's memory by helping mammals every day, just as he did. You don't owe anyone anything, Miss Bogo. And I'm sorry for not attempting to meet you sooner. A mammal like you in my life would have been a blessing."

Their gazes locked and soft smiles on their lips was broken only by several loud sniffles coming from beside them. They turned to see the gray bunny desperately trying to clear her eyes of tears and wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"What? You never-*sniff*-seen an emotional bunny before?"

* * *

After Beth had departed and they were once again alone, Judy took the time to look over her mate. She wanted to see if he was comfortable, fetching several more pillows and blankets even though Nick had assured her he was fine. Only when he was nearly smothered with extra bedding did she calm down and sit next to him. She wanted him to be comfortable as she gathered herself to reveal the new change in their relationship.

"Nick. There's something  _new_  we need to talk about." The tone in her voice, one of trepidation yet also joyful, had him raising himself up as straight as he could without causing himself more pain.

"What is it, Carrots? You know you can always tell me anything." Judy closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening the and fixing her lavender eyes on his brilliant emeralds.

"Nick," she started, her voice filled with happiness, "I'm-"

What was probably a soft knock to whoever was on the opposite side of the door came across as a large thumping sound to the two small mammals. Where Judy bristled at the sound, upset by the interruption, Nick stared at the door with interest. He had only started allowing visitors once he had seen his wife so he had only a few guesses who might be just beyond that door. With it swinging wide revealing a pair of formidable horns, Nick felt he should be shocked at seeing Bogo though thinking back to it later he realized how much sense it made for the Chief of Police to check on a wounded officer.

"Glad to see you're awake, Wilde." The gruff voice was tinged with a nearly undetectable sound of relief and the words came across much softer than they were used to hearing from the buffalo.

"Chief! Welcome! Pull up a chair, breakfast should be here soon. I've been told to expect the most exquisite oatmeal and Jell-O combo." A spot of mischief lit up his eyes while joined with a rare look of serious contemplation. "Why do they always serve Jell-O? Is it like some sort of weird medical secret? Jell-O. Cures anything from a tonsillectomy to gunshot wounds apparently."

Judy could not stop herself from slapping a paw to her face at the antics of her mate, though calling him that right now was a stretch. Bogo had a hard enough time not yelling at the tod and only restrained himself because of the major trauma he had just experienced, though his patience was wearing thin.

"Wilde!" Nick paused mid-rant fixing the buffalo with an amused glance. "I know you hate paperwork and probably don't want to deal with any of this right now, but I need to know what happened last night."

A genuine smile crossing the fox's lips unnerved the large mammal but he refused to let him see him slightly rocked. "Yeah Chief I can do that." The gray paw gripping his own gave him the extra strength he needed to recount the trauma he had experienced. Bogo listened intently at the report from his officer, noting that it matched almost perfectly with the one Wolford gave him that morning.

At the end, the Chief simply folded up his notebook and nodded showing he was done with the paperwork aspect. "How are you feeling?"

A small measure of shock at how tender Bogo's voice had become showed on the vulpine's face for only a moment but it was enough to give the buffalo a guilty feeling of pleasure.

"Honestly Chief it hurts like hell. Especially since Sundae said I can't have Carrots cuddling on me for the next few days." Rather than going too much into his personal feelings, Nick changed the subject to something he had been concerned with since he awoke. "Chief, what about Riley?"

Bogo snorted quietly. _Just been shot and his only concern is if they got the perp. Those two were just made for each other._  "He's upstairs. Intensive care ward."

Judy's eyes widened at that and Nick couldn't help but notice the way her paw gripped a little tighter, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "What happened?" Bogo was slightly concerned about the venom lacing the bunny's words but pressed on.

"Because Riley always made his hits with such precision we rarely ever had any clues to where he had gone. The fact we caught him in his car with one of the stolen plates he had was a miracle, though not worth this, Wilde'" he said somberly, gesturing to the machines his officer was currently hooked to. "We managed to track him to a safe house and the officers who found him moved in quickly to prevent him from fleeing."

"Who were the officers?"

"McHorn and Pennington." Nick couldn't stop the grin forming on his face not that he would want to. The two mammals rarely were partners, but when Dwayne and Francine teamed up it never ended well for any perp or their property. "Riley was prepared with only medium sized caliber weapons and ammo. They way McHorn described it was like being hit with a hockey puck from a five year old. There's a massive rhino shaped hole in the wall of the safe house where he charged in. Riley was expecting a front door breach so he was standing almost directly in McHorn's path." While it wasn't proper for a police officer to revel in another mammal's pain, the Chief couldn't help but be pleased the hitmammal was now caught and out of commission

"So what happened to him?" Judy asked quietly. She had trouble keeping her voice calm and collected knowing her husband's attacker was so close by.

"He sustained a broken arm and several fractured ribs when McHorn slammed into him and he broke both of his legs when Francine, and I quote, 'accidentally knocked over a bookshelf on top of Riley.' She failed to note that the bookshelf was secured to the wall and frankly I can't refute my officer's statement to the contrary. He's currently out cold on a respirator." Nick's grin grew wider and wider as Bogo told him of the ram's capture. Judy however was having a much harder time.

"That's not good enough," she spat. Both mammals turned to her in surprise. "He deserves so much more. I want to go in there and strangle him myself! Watch his eyes go blank while he struggles to breathe! I want to-!" The doe suddenly stopped as she realized who she was speaking to. "I am so sorry, Chief. I didn't mean to say all that." Bogo simply waved his hoof in dismissal.

"Don't worry it, Judy. I know with your condition the attack on Nick was much more chaotic with tour emotions. And after Dr. Bales called me to let me know about the furthering of your condition I'm sure they are only elevated now with the baby."

At the look of distress on Judy's face as well the confusion on Nick's, Bogo realized he had just screwed up monumentally. Nick could only stare blankly at the Chief.

"The what now?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: Did you really think I would kill him off? That would kill Judy and the baby too! For shame on you for wanting to kill a baby!


	39. Chapter 43 - And baby makes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So here we have it. Another chapter of Savage Bun Bun out already. "How does he do it?" I hear you cry! Well folks, I am just that amazing. Okay, enough of stroking my own ego.
> 
> Disclaimer: I was so close. Sooooo close. I had made it through the entire park with the help of Nicholas Cage (by the way, he's surprisingly cheap to rent) and Harrison Ford (not so cheap) using their roles of archaeologist treasure hunters to bypass any Disney security nearby. All I needed to do was waltz into the HQ dressed as Chip or Dale (went with Dale. Funnier), creep past the guards while using radio contact with the two actors to key me on their whereabouts, then enter the vault and I was home free. But then, just when I was within arm's reach of the Zootopia rights laying right there on the stand, the suit's zipper broke and I was trapped inside. I'm on my phone and the battery is dying. Send help! Pizza is also acceptable.

"I'm never complaining about parking duty again." A steady thumping sound echoed through the empty office, though it was slightly more muffled than the last time as the stack of papers laid out had grown. Any officer walking by the open door investigating the strange noise quickly moved along for fear of laughing or at least cracking a grin. Most of them recognized the same sound and symptom of one's head being dropped onto a desk repeatedly as they had all done the same thing dozens of times over their careers.

"Wait. What am I talking about? Of  _course_  I would complain about parking duty. Probably just not as loud," the red fox promised to himself, daydreaming of at least being out on the street rather than cooped up inside the office he once shared with a certain energetic bunny. Nick was sorely missing her for more than one reason, but at the moment it would be because of the mounting piles of reports scattered over his desk top.  _Sigh._  "If only Carrots was here. She'd be done in like, twenty minutes tops and wouldn't utter a single complaint. At least not until she got home."

"That's because your wife is insane." Nick jerked his head up at a familiar and much welcomed voice. While merely sticking his head through the door as if asking permission to come in, the face of Wolford did much to lift his spirits.

"Wolfie! Come in, take a seat." The timber wolf did so, but hesitantly, appearing worried about being so close to the fox. Nick could only roll his eyes at the sight of his friend's inner turmoil. Though the feeling was appreciated it was unnecessary and frankly quite concerning. "Freddie, you need to stop walking around on eggshells. I'm fine. It's been two weeks since I got out from the hospital and old buffalo butt has let me come back to work for the past week."

"Well I don't know how 'fine' you are. You're still wearing those god awful shirts. Sure that bullet didn't do some brain damage?" Glancing down, Nick took in the sight of his signature Pawaiin shirt resting over his torso and covering the bandages still over his chest and back where the gunshot had pierced his chest and been dug out through his back.

"Hey! These shirts will forever be in style. And the doc said I need to wear loose fitting clothes. And it's Bogo's fault for not telling me  _what_  clothes I was allowed," he answered with a sly grin causing the wolf to shake his head, though his own smile seemed a bit forced if the dull look in his eyes was any indication. Nick let the corners of his mouth dip down slightly, concern finding it's way over his face. "Alright. Out with it, Wolfie. What's got you so down in the dumps."

Under the fox's watchful eyes, Freddie began wringing his paws together nervously. He had been struggling with himself on how to approach this conversation for weeks but had never been able to gather himself enough to take the plunge. It had taken Fangmeyer pushing him along to actually make it to the doorway and even now he knew she was right outside lending him support. Taking a deep breath, he dove in. "It's my fault, Nick."

"What's your fault? This?" he asked, gesturing towards the small amount of bandage snaking it's way up past his shirt collar. "You didn't cause it, Freddie. Riley is an evil mammal that has it out for predators. Especially myself for my help in putting one of his students behind bars." It had been confirmed by Doug during his testimony that he had learned how to track and shoot his targets from Riley himself in an attempt to gain some leniency on his sentence. Since they had never caught the hitmammal, Doug ended up with the full forty years in prison.

"Maybe, but it doesn't excuse me from not following protocol. I let you get shot because I was too busy messing around to check the plate." Nick couldn't help but scoff at the idea that it was his friend's fault.

"Wolfie, we  _both_  were doing that all day. It was just bad timing. I'm fine, you're fine, everyone is fine." The timber wolf seemed a bit happier by his friend's assurances, his tail wagging a little happier. "Although," the fox's voice drawled out, "I'd be willing to completely absolve you if you would take care of all these reports."

"Ha! I'd rather take a week of parking duty, Wilde." Leaving in much better spirits than when he came in, Wolford gave the fox a quick and mocking salute before heading out. While Nick silently cursed not tricking the wolf into setting him free, he still was very happy he could lift his friend up out of the dumps and he went back to work with a smile on his lips.

He had become so absorbed in his work, hoping to clear at least one of the stacks before the end of his shift that he had missed a shrill beeping from his phone that had become covered in papers. Pulling it out from underneath the files, he stared at the alarm going off.  _Alarm...What did I set an alarm for?_  His eyes widened in shock and his heart rate spiked.  _Oh shit!_

* * *

 _"_ I said I was sorry." Flinching under the rabbit's harsh glare, Nick decided maybe the best thing to do would be to shut up. But he never was one to listen to himself. "I mean I was only ten minutes late."

"Ten minutes is enough for them to give away our appointment to someone else! And we won't get another one for over a week. We only have so much time, Nick." Fuming, Judy crossed her arms which, coupled with her stern expression, told Nick she might be a little bit upset. "If this was a normal bunny pregnancy this would have been done that same week, if not the same day. But nooo, I had to fall in love with a damn  _fox_  and deal with his damn  _fox_  genetics."

Rather concerned for his safety, Nick had to control himself not to flinch away. Instead he reached out a trembling paw, intent on trying to calm his agitated bunny down. He hesitated just shy of her leg when she whipped her head around to look at him. Her gaze had not softened any and the raised brow as she glanced at where his paw hovered almost had him yanking away. But again, his concern over her well being was stronger than his own self-preservation. Soft gray fur rested beneath his pads once he had lowered them to her leg. Thankfully she merely turned back front facing and leaned into him.

"I'm really sorry. I was giving Wolford some counseling and I didn't hear the alarm." At that Judy's expression softened rather a lot.

"Still beating himself up about it?" Nick nodded causing her to sigh. They both knew that the timber wolf was taking it very hard, that he felt responsible for Nick being shot. Though the fox had a good feeling that he had finally managed to get through to him. "Did it help any?"

"I think so. Liz made him come talk to me. The way he said it I think she might have actually picked him up and walked him to our office." He chuckled at the idea of that image, a large tiger cradling a wolf in her arms, carrying him like a cub. He added a little baby talk dialogue to it causing a massive grin and letting out a loud bark of laughter. Judy gave him an odd look which only made him laugh a bit more. "Sorry, sorry. Just the idea of Liz...carrying him around." An image flashed through Judy's mind before she started chuckling as well.

Reaching up to stroke her fox's cheek, she glimpsed a mammal out of the corner of her eye glaring at them. Keeping her paw on his fur, Judy turned her head, noticing a sow giving the two a dirty look. "Can I help you, miss?" It wasn't possible for Nick or the pig across from them to miss the venom in her words or the way her eyes narrowed dangerously at the other mammal, but as he predicted, the sow decided to ignore the warning signs in favor of her own self-righteousness.

Sticking her pink nose into the air, the female huffed snootily. "Obviously I can't. Not if you two deviants are here of all places. I'm just glad my daughter wasn't out here. The sight of you two is sickening enough she might give birth right now." Looking directly at Nick, the pig sneered haughtily. "A predator and a prey. Sickening. And a  _fox_  of all things. You must be desperate to have someone raise those kits for you if you're willing to hook up with  _him_."

Judy's face went from blanched white to steaming red in record time, the look of shock quickly giving way to one of rage. "This is my  _husband_  you despicable  _oinker_." Nick had to clap his paw to his muzzle to stay quiet while the pig became outraged and decided she was going all in on the bunny.

"Husband. Wow. You're even more pathetic than I thought marrying that pelt." Nick could feel Judy beginning to shake and came to the conclusion it would be best for them to wait outside before something bad happened. Unfortunately before he could, something bad happened. "So you married a fox but of course bunnies still fuck anything that moves so I'm not surprised you ended up pregnant. How does your 'darling hubby' feel about having to raise the kits of a buck his wife cheated on him with?"

The sow's look of vindictive victory was short lived as Judy launched herself across the room, straddling the mammal and grabbing her around the collar. "These kits are  _his_ you piece of shit mammal! I would never cheat on my husband but I wouldn't expect someone whose morals and manners as pathetic as yours to understand the ideas of 'love and honor'. You probably let everyone who could  _pork_  you in between your legs! I should beat you senseless right here but I'm going in for my first ultrasound so I'm gonna tell you to get your curly-tailed ass out of here before you end up in intensive care!" As if to make good on her threat, Judy hauled the pig from her chair and bodily threw her towards the exit. Nick was completely shocked, not as how his mate had reacted, but by how quickly the sow had moved on her hooves and knees out the door.

Standing there flabbergasted, Nick could only stare at his wife while her breathing slowly returned to normal and her pupils became less constricted. "Carrots? You okay?" he asked out of concern. It had been a while since he had seen her in that state. Not even blowing up at Bogo about revealing her pregnancy before she could had reached that level, though the Chief had walked on eggshells around the doe ever since while shielding his eye from potentially being hit again.

Judy finally found herself calming down, though her eyes were still focused on the double doors leading outside as if expecting the pig to come back. Her rapid heartbeat slowed and her ragged breathing calmed before she turned back to her fox. "Yeah. Yeah I'm okay, Slick." She started to head back to her seat when the sight of the receptionists brought her up short. Both of the ones that were visible had shrank back in shock at the aggressiveness of the rabbit. All she could do was hide her face while Nick stammered out a pathetic excuse.  _"Bunny hormones, am I right?"_ It was a blessing when the nurse arrived right then to take them back into the examination room.

After a quick blood pressure reading and weighing the rabbit, the two mammals were left alone, though not without a curious lingering look by the nurse. Luckily it was not one of any malice or disgust since Judy was still on heightened alert after the lobby incident. She would have preferred to be left with her thoughts but of course with Nicholas Wilde nearby, no place was safe. "Hey Carrots. Look at these 'stirrup' things. We should get a pair of these for the bedroom. Or maybe the couch, what do you think?"

"Dirty minded fox," She shook her head at her incorrigible mate. "We're here because we are already good at that. And you know I don't need to be putting my feet in any sort of contraption to spread my legs wide enough for you." Nick's sly gleam vanished while gasping deep enough to make him cough as a silky paw ran down his arm reaching his waist.  _Two can play that game, Slick. And you know I always win._  Taking her paw away just before reaching his stomach, she left him whining sharply. "Now. Be a good little foxy and behave yourself and maybe we can continue this at home."

Nick was about to up the ante when there was a sharp knock on the door. The fox quickly took a step back, more to ease the arousal he was feeling being so close to his mate after she had made a few choice comments. He had never been embarrassed by their relationship and would have flipped off the doctor before ever stepping back. Suddenly realizing the door had remained closed, Judy quickly raised her voice to make it through the heavy wood panel. "I'm all set, please come in."

A rather audible 'click' greeted their ears as the handle was turned and the door made a slight scraping noise upon entering. It was enough to make the doe wince, something the jaguar entering did not miss. "Sorry about that, Mrs. Wilde. The door shifted last frost heave and we just keep forgetting to call in a repairman. I'll make sure to note a different room for any future appointments. I'm Doctor Pawson and I'll be your OB throughout your gestation period." Noticing the fox close by, she quickly glanced at the paperwork. A raised brow was all the comment she made but it was enough to make Judy anxious. "I'm guessing you would be Mr. Wilde?" she inquired of the vulpine a few steps away from the bed.

"Yep. That's me." Something in his tone had the bunny turning to look at her fox before slapping a paw to her face. His signature hustler smirk was plastered over his lips and she knew he was going to try something foolish in order to smooth out the situation. She was not going to let that happen and potentially ruin her first ultrasound. Grabbing the swinging tie that came within her reach, she jerked on it hard bringing the tod eye level with his wife.

"Nick. I swear to god if you keep up with this I will send your ridiculously fluffy tail to the car. Got it?" A bit fearful now after what he had seen from her in the last twenty minutes added to the fact that he knew she wasn't bluffing had him shutting up immediately. Somehow they had accomplished breaking the ice with their antics, something they both noticed as a light chuckle was heard coming from the feline in the lab coat.

"I'm sorry," she quickly said. "We get a few couples like yourselves, interaction not interspecies, although we get those too. But it's just always amusing to see the male listening to their mate as well as he apparently does."

Judy waved her paw in dismissal of that point. "This fox doesn't listen to anyone, but he has learned a healthy bit of fear about making me mad so tends to be a bit more behaved when dealing with me." Something the doctor had said triggered within her mind. "You said interspecies. Are there a lot that come through here?" She was curious to know if other mammals like them had been similar cases and if she could learn about any problems they should watch out for.

"Oh we see our fair share. Not many are able to have children due to the genetic differences so the number is rather small compared to what some call 'traditional' couples. I never liked that word. 'Traditional'. Makes it sound like interspecies is some sort of depravity. I myself am married to a wonderful lion." She paused slightly before lifting a sheet off the chart and glancing at the one below it. "For some reason you two seem familiar."

"We get that all the time. Just have one of those muzzles," Nick joked. Normally Judy would have chastised him for it but she knew he was trying to defuse the situation before the doctor became too suspicious of who they were. Predators tended to have mixed reactions to Judy, either thrilled with how she had proven they were innocent of devolving or still carrying a grudge if they had faced certain levels of discrimination during the Nighthowler episode.

"No, no I'm sure that's not it." The jaguar struggled for a moment, trying to bring back a long forgotten memory, something about an unorthodox couple.  _In the ZPD._ "Oh my god. I'm treating Judy freaking Hopps."

* * *

"Not one word, Slick. You hear me?"

"What? I think you look... _cute_." He couldn't help himself and failed to contain several snickers however he did manage to clamp down enough to prevent outright laughter, something Judy felt slightly better about. Unfortunately he stood beyond range of her arm and therefore could not be punched for his 'cute' comment. "I'm sure it's a trendy fashion statement. All the pregnant mammals are probably doing it."

The large cat offered her a sympathetic eye. "While he is right that every female has to do this in order for the ultrasound to work," the doctor explained as she continued shaving the fur around the rabbit's belly, "I can still reach out and thump him for you if you wish." It was pleasing for both the doctor and her patient to see the smirk instantly wiped from the fox's muzzle and a contrite look appear though not without a sliver of fear in his eyes at the thought of such a large paw hitting him pretty much anywhere on his body.

"Nah, that's okay. I'll get him later."  _That really does not make me feel any safer,_ the fox thought grumpily. "So it needs to be skin contact with the machine for the ultrasound to work? Huh. I knew my sisters always complained about it but I thought they were just messing with me. This is  _so_  gonna itch growing back." Nick started snickering again but this time the doctor really did reach out and thump him on the leg. A startled yelp had Judy grinning rather broadly before the fox sat down and made a zipper motion across his muzzle.

"Okay Judy. We're just going to apply this gel to your stomach. It allows us to send the sound waves into your uterus so we can check on how the baby is progressing." Tapping a tube on the bed, she popped open the cap and spread it on the machine end. "I um, I have to warn you. Normally we have a heater for the gel but ours went down on Tuesday so this will be cold." Lightly pressing the end against the doe's belly, she was unsurprised by the sudden gasp and arching of her back. It happened every time the heater went down. "Alright, well that went better than most rabbits do. Now you'll feel a bit of pressure while I push. It shouldn't hurt but if feel any pain tell me immediately, okay?" Judy nodded while Nick looked on curiously. "Good. Now, let's find that kit."

It only took about ten seconds for the doctor to find the faint sign of a rapid heartbeat and the mammal it belonged to, but for the couple in the room it was an eternity. "Alright mom and dad. Here is one of your kits." The faint outline of the small baby growing within her belly had Judy welling up with tears.

"Nick, it's our baby! Look at it. It looks so much like a fox. The tail bone is much longer than a rabbit would have but the ears are so big!" She clutched his paw in excitement and love, feeling so much joy in that moment.

"Yes, they will have a lot of mixed traits. Almost like a funny. Or maybe a box. I'm not really sure what it would be classified as. Would you like to know the sex?" Both mammals nodded emphatically. "Congratulations. You are looking at your daughter."

Tears had welled up in Judy's eyes at that while Nick's knees began to wobble. "A daughter, Carrots. We have a little gi-...wait..." He turned to the doctor, his eyes widening. "' _One of'_?  _'They will'_?

"Of course," the doctor said laughing. "Did you really expect a fox and rabbit to only have one kit?" Nick seemed almost paralyzed while Judy looked on with wide eyes.

"Well  _yeah!"_

"Your genetics both average out to far more than a single kit, Mr. Wilde." Rotating the camera down Judy's left side, they were greeted with an image of a second baby within her uterus. "This one also shows more fox dominant genes and is another vixen."

"Two. Well Carrots I think that's pretty fantastic, don't you?" While it was a shock to both of them, the idea of two kits was just as welcome as the idea of the one. "And two girls! I get to play tea party and threaten teenage boys! You get to take them shopping and tell them about how love is evil and to stay away from males." Judy could only shake her head at her fox before doctor Pawson interjected before she had the chance to speak.

"And it looks like we have a third over on this side." At that, the situation was less peaceful and loving and was quickly becoming a bit more panicked. "Looks like we have another vixen too!" Nick had to grab the chair before he fell over. Mouthing wordlessly over and over, he appeared to be growing faint. Judy seemed to be handling it a little better but she too was finding the news overwhelming. "Well, three kits is a bit below the average but I think it's a good number for living in the ci-, oh I called it too soon." Prodding the wand into Judy's belly a little more, she appeared to be pushing something out of the way. "Ah, there we go." Turning the screen to face the now panicking parents, she pointed out the distinctive features of this new one. "Here we've got more of a bunny dominant one. Looks like a buck this time."

Judy was speechless. Not only was she going to have a child with her fox, but she was going to have  _four_. She was both thrilled and shocked with a minor hint of fear. She couldn't help but look over at her husband to see how he was doing. She wasn't really surprised to see him leaning back in the chair staring at the ceiling whispering  _"Four. Four."_ over and over to himself.

"I must say though...I don't think I've ever seen a predator and prey couple in here before. The genetics are just so different that to think you two managed to successfully breed is astonishing. Like you truly have no idea."

Husband and wife looked at each other, slightly concerned yet also curious. "In what way, doctor?" Judy took point on the questioning knowing that Nick would probably make some sort of joke that would result in eye rolls from the two females.

"Well, think of it this way. If you bought one hundred million lottery tickets, are you guaranteed a winner? Of course not. The odds are still higher. Think of the pairing of your genetics as double those of the lottery. If I hadn't seen the ultrasound myself I would think you had used a donor or another partner. Now I'm not saying anything about your faithfulness to your husband," she said quickly with her paws up. "I heard about the sow in the waiting room. But the odds of this are just so astounding it's unbelievable."

"Well considering her scent bond and how everything had to fall into exact place for us to even be together, I say we're good at beating the odds." Judy couldn't help but beam up at her fox. The two were looking at each other with such love and affection that the doctor couldn't help but smile, though it was slightly strained.

 _I won't ruin this for them. I'll let them enjoy their happiness,_ the doctor mused, entranced by the love between predator and prey.  _I just wish I could tell them they won't ever be able to have more children unless some miracle beyond any ever seen in this world happens. Although by the look on the fox's face, four will be plenty._

* * *

Entering the apartment were two rather stunned mammals. The drive back home had been relatively quiet which was a rarity for them as they each absorbed what they had just learned. Four children was not anything they had been expecting to hear when they had scheduled the ultrasound though neither was overly distraught by the news. After all four kits was on the small side for both fox and rabbit litters. What was the biggest issue they had determined was that they needed to make several large changes in their lives and they only had five weeks to do it.

_"Based on their rate of growth, I'd say you are looking at a regular vulpine gestation of about two months."_

_"Doctor, I'm...happy obviously but I'm also a bit concerned. How am I supposed to grow three foxes and a rabbit inside of me? We're not exactly the same size."_

_"Well thankfully Judy you don't need to worry about that. I've checked their sizes and they aren't going to get any bigger than baby bunnies when they are born. Their growth will be quite different as they get older but for now it seems that life found a way."_

With health concerns having been figured out, although they were expected to show up once a week for further tests because of the complexity of their pregnancy, they moved onto the more common issues. "Where are we supposed to live? We can't put four babies in that one spare room. Oh my god. What about work? Is one of us going to have to quit? Do we need rotating schedules? But then we can't be partners anymore! I don't know if I can do that permanently. What about-"

"Carrots!" Nick grabbed his mate's flailing paws and led her over to the couch. Sitting them both down, he lifted a paw to stroke her ears to calm her down. A few shivers rocked the bunny before she crawled into his lap. "We'll take care of it, Fluff. Space? We'll find a bigger place. Work? There are things called babysitters. Sarah or Trisha, okay maybe not Trisha, but there's Finn and Jessica. You know Spots will be down for it. And I'm sure I can guilt Wolfie and Liz into i-Ow!" The tod rubbed his smarting arm where a deceptively small paw had slammed into it.

"You aren't going to guilt our friends into watching our kits." He couldn't help but smile mischievously at his bunny making her roll her eyes. "I just can't win with you, can I?"

"Am I ever going to be completely serious? No, no I am not. But you love me for it. Now," he clapped his paws standing up quickly, "you go take a shower and I'll start dinner." Giving him a soft smile in thanks, Judy stood and started walking behind the vulpine before her own smirk formed across her lips. Nick let out a startled 'yelp' as a gray paw met his russet behind with a hard  _snap_.

Walking past, she gave him a wink and a grin before speeding towards the bathroom, avoiding the much larger paw headed in the direction of her tush. Managing to stay ahead of him, Judy closed and locked the bathroom door giggling like mad as she left her husband out in the hall. The shadow beneath the door told her he was still waiting outside. Sticking her foot under the gap, she squealed in delight when she yanked it back just ahead of his paw reaching down. "I'll get you eventually, my pretty. And your little tail too." With the shadow moving away and Judy's sensitive ears telling her he was headed for the kitchen, she finally lost any composure she had and began laughing hysterically.

Though the day had been rather enjoyable, it had also been emotionally exhausting. After turning on the spray of water, Judy let her mind wander at the idea of what her kits would look like while the water heated.  _Long fluffy tails and big soft ears it looks like for the girls. And more of a bunny looking figure for our little boy. Oh my. I don't think the world is ready for such cuteness._  She certainly knew her father would not be. Her parents and a large amount of her siblings had been over the moon about the news of her being pregnant, but her father had nearly drowned himself in tears at hearing he was going to be a grandpa, although this was certainly not his first, second, or even fortieth litter of grandkits. She had a feeling that once he saw the fox tails and bunny ears he would simply melt.

With all of her daydreaming, she didn't realize she had forgotten to bring a towel in with her. Having already stripped, she snuck out quietly so as to not to alert her overly affectionate husband that she was already naked and in no mood to refuse him should he wish to join her. Judy snagged a towel from the hall closet and started heading back before hearing a hushed conversation coming from the closed bedroom door. She snuck closer and the words became very clear.

"Yeah Bonnie...I know, it's just-...Okay,  _mom_. It just feels strange but also nice I guess...Yeah we just were there...Yep. Four of em...I know! I'm sure we'll figure it out don't worry...Yeah I have that part all figured already...No not yet. Gonna tell her at the shower...No she has no idea about the baby shower...Well yeah I told Jessica but she promised she'd keep it quiet...Okay it's been set for the Saturday after next. Four o'clock...Yep...Okay mom. Yeah still feels strange...See you then...Love you too."

As silently as she could, Judy padded back to the shower with a giant grin on her lips, not wanting to let her mate know she had just been let in on the giant conspiracy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: I know a lot of you were waiting to see Nick's reaction to the bombshell dropped on him last chapter, but I felt the moment they actually saw their children would fit their character better.


	40. Chapter 44 - Showered with affection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here we go! Thanks to some crazy level of inspiration this chapter was done in a single day! Amazing!
> 
> For a lot of you discussing about the four kits, there's a reason for that. I have four myself so I modeled it after my own, though it's a gender swap. Three boys, one girl.
> 
> Disclaimer: ...Yeah I got nothin. Put all my writing into the chapter. Oops.

Russet paws flexed dangerously strong, denting the file currently being held though thankfully not piercing it knowing Bogo would have a fit. "Okay. Next time I get shot and collapse a lung I'm fixing myself with a tire pump, some duct tape, and super glue." The idea, while ludicrous, sounded completely sane to Nick as he spent his thirty fifth day of being back to work at his desk playing record keeper.

"Sounds like a fun afternoon. Mind if I watch?" Having been so absorbed in his own misery, the fox hadn't noticed that the chair across from his had suddenly become occupied. Though 'occupied' would be a loose term as the rather small chair designed for a rabbit simply wasn't meant to handle the tigress now perched over it.

"Mind the chair, Whiskers. Carrots will be pretty upset if she came back to work and found it in pieces. She loves that chair as the indentation would show." Lylah looked down her muzzle at the vulpine before turning her gaze downward and smiling mischievously.

"Oh I'm sure Flopsy wouldn't mind. What I'm more interested in would be the claw marks on the arms and the much larger indent in the seat. Almost as if there was more than one mammal in it quite regularly. One larger than the other I might add." Grinning wide letting her teeth flash in the light, she directed her knowing look towards the tod. "Something you want to say, Foxy?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Nick tried his best to look innocent but he couldn't hide the slight uptick at the corners of his mouth. "What are you and the missus up to today?" Lylah couldn't help the blush spreading across her cheeks. Nick took great pleasure in knowing he could still rile his friend up with so few words. The slight increase in her scent that suddenly permeated the area had him grinning even wider.

Lylah did not miss the slight dilation of the vulpine's nostrils knowing full well he had just drawn a decent amount of her change in scent. "Dammit Foxy. You know you're not allowed to do that to me. Keep your sniffer to your own wife."

"Don't worry, Whiskers. I won't tell Tammy you're lusting after her hot bod right now. Right Tammy?" he called out looking past the tigress into the hallway just beyond the still open door. He couldn't help the bark of laughter that sprang from his muzzle as his friend whipped around so fast it made even  _him_  dizzy. "God you're too easy." An angry glare sent his way had him laughing a bit harder. "Although I suppose Tammy already knows you're easy. Ain't that right, Furball?" This time Nick's grin looked calmer, more in control, sending Lylah's thoughts for a loop.

"You won't fool me twice, Foxy."  _Although he did just say 'Furball' instead of Tammy. He never does that unless Tammy is nearby. Could she actually be there? No. No he's just doing that to mess with me again. But he's not smirking. He seems pleased with himself but not mischievously. Ugh, I hate this damn fox._ She almost called his bluff when Nick casually raised his paw and gestured for the mammal to come in.  _She's there!_  Lylah spun around in her chair only to see another empty doorway. Behind her Nick nearly collapsed to the floor with laughter.

Lylah stood from her perch and circled the desk ready to beat the tod to a pulp when he suddenly grabbed his chest and gasped hard. His eyes grew wide while his claws gripped his shirt, almost pulling it away from his body. Lylah stood nearby ready to call an ambulance if the attack did not stop. It was not the first one he had experienced and most certainly not the first his friends and colleagues had seen. The doctor warned him that too much stress on his lung could cause some pain and tightness. A slight feeling of being suffocated was not unheard of either. Luckily the attack only lasted a minute at the most and soon he was back to breathing normally, though not without a spasm of pain across his face every now and then.

Seeing him back under control, Lylah leaned up against the desk, looking down in concern. "Bad?"

Nick nodded, still wincing slightly while rubbing his paw over his chest. "Haven't had one that bad in weeks. Guess I overdid it on the laughs." Lylah's concern suddenly took a back seat, the idea of Nick Wilde having to keep his own laughter contained too amusing to  _not_  visualize. "Hey, hey! Wipe that smirk off your muzzle, Whiskers. This fox ain't about to stop laughing and he definitely won't stop the pranks. I'm still down two pranks cause Tams decided to capitalize on my hospital stay. Ain't that right, Furball?"

Lylah simply rolled her eyes at the lame attempt from the tod. "Foxy, just knock it off. I know Tammy isn't behind m-EEK!" The tigress suddenly let out a shrill squeak, a very interesting sound for a feline to make, at the two spotted arms suddenly encircling her neck. A light pressure of tongue on her cheek left the tigress stumbling over her words, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Hey Pretty Kitty. We're late for our patrol. You all done playing with the token fox?" Nick let out a mock gasp, acting indignant at the quip.

"Token fox? Madam! I must inform you that I was valedictorian of my graduating class. Granted I only made it because Whiskers felt there was an injustice done and pretty much blackmailed our wonderful leader, but still. Token fox. How dare you." Tammy couldn't help but giggle the whole way through his rant, tightening her grip on her mate and hauling her to her feet.

"Okay, okay. You aren't a token fox. You're just the only fox. In a whole system that has no other foxes anywhere. The only fox in an all non-fox environment." Nick narrowed his eyes at the cheetah.

"You just described a token fox." Tammy went mockingly wide-eyed.

"Did I? Oops!" Nick tossed a wadded up piece of paper at the two felines who quickly retreated with laughter echoing down the hall. Glancing at the clock, he noticed that his interaction with Lylah and Tammy had managed to shave twenty minutes off today's sentence in hell. Of course this meant he was going to behind in his filing and wouldn't be able to catch up by the end of the day but that really didn't matter to him in the long run. The only thing on his mind was the baby shower he was secretly throwing for his mate.

At the thought of Judy, Nick let out a slight whimper. He was having a tough time being away from her that seemed to only grow worse with each passing day. He had consulted the internet as he knew no other foxes that had gone through something similar to this and after several pages of reading he came to the conclusion it was simply a common effect with canids and their offspring. The instinctual desire to protect and be around their mate at all times was one that hadn't made it's way out of the evolved gene pool.

In fact, his desire to be with her right then was so overwhelming he could almost smell her. Closing his eyes, he let his imagination whisk him away to their home, where he could surround himself with her scent much as his mind was letting him do now. Hearing the tiny clicks of her dull claws over the floor before giving way to the soft thumps along the carpet. He could just see in his mind's eye her scrambling up into her desk chair, having a small bit of trouble because she was starting to show a decent sized bulge under her shirt. The shuffling of papers is what caused him to open his eyes, slightly stunned to see his mate seated directly across from him, now searching through the files.  _Oh great. Now I'm full on hallucinating. Imagining my bunny sitting there doing paperwo-...wait a second. In every fantasy I've imagined her in she's never done paperwork._ "Carrots?"

Judy glanced up happily, a bright smile on her lips and a shine to her eyes. "Hey sweetie." Nick was flabbergasted to say the least.

"Wha-..What are you  _doing_  here?!" While thrilled to see his mate, he was a bit upset she hadn't mentioned she was leaving the apartment. "Doctor Pawson said you needed to stay away from stressful situations. Take it easy as much as you can."

Judy couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Nick, relax. I'm doing paperwork, not chasing down a mugger or foiling a bank robbery. I've just been so  _bored_  stuck at home. There's nothing to do. Especially if no one can hang out. There's only so many times I can watch Hulu before I snap. Besides" she waved her paw over the stacks spread out over both of their desks, "it looks like you could use the help."

Knowing he was never going to talk her out of it, Nick simply slid over his half completed ones letting her start slow in case he was able to convince her it simply wasn't worth it and go home. He should have known better as he watched her attack the pile with zeal. While outwardly he protested, secretly he was very happy to have her there with him. Not just to help with the paperwork which was a godsend by itself, but to able to spend the extra time with her. Of course they both knew that eventually her presence would be noticed.

"O. M. Goodness!"  _Like right now apparently._ The two mammals rotated towards the door just in time to see Clawhauser squeeze through, a box of donuts in paw. "Judy. You look positively glowing! So much has changed since I last saw you!"

Judy giggled at the cheetah's antics. "Ben, we saw each other for lunch just three days ago. Remember?"

"Well yeah," he chuckled, remembering the lunch fondly, as he did every outing he has had with his colleagues. "But you've grown so much since then." The raised brow of the rabbit was the first clue he had just royally screwed up. The second was the way Nick suddenly lifted a folder and hid behind it. "I- I mean-I...oh no."

"Benjamin Clawhauser. Did you just say I was  _fat?!_ " Her voice had raised in volume with each word said until the final was almost a shout. Unfortunately for the cheetah, most of the mammals in the precinct had rather good hearing, that fact made all the more pronounced by the deathly silence that settled over the atrium and surrounding offices. If one listened closely, they would have caught the sound of a door on the third floor opening partially before pausing and then closing as quietly as possible.

"What?! I would never! I-I just meant you were showing more-" Nick's frantic shaking of his head made the large cat freeze up as Judy's gaze hit him with such intensity he was surprised his fur wasn't burned clean off. "I-um, donut?" His mind had gone completely blank so he offered the angry mammal the one thing he always had to calm him down. Unfortunately the idea was not the same.

"A donut? To make me even  _fatter_?" This time Nick slid down in his seat nearly far enough for his muzzle to slip under the desk. Ben was now completely lost. He had no idea how to handle the situation so he did the only sensible thing when faced with an angry Judy. He threw the donuts at her side of the table and ran as quick as his legs could manage back to the front desk.

By the time Nick felt it was safe to emerge, Judy had pulled the box over in front of her and began devouring the donuts with a fervor that shocked the vulpine to his core. He had seen her eat fast before and in great quantities. Rabbits needed to because of their fast metabolism, not to mention her profession. The last few weeks though had sparked something even more ferocious in his bunny. She had even begun munching on crickets and beetles with the occasional serving of fish, something she blamed wholly on his 'damn genetics'. What really rocked him though was the serene look on her face as if nothing had just happened.

"Did you-...Did you just hustle Ben for his donuts?" Where before she looked ready to go on a murderous rampage at the very idea of being told she looked pregnant, now her expression was sheepish and a bit embarrassed.

"I'm  _hungry._ I'm eating for five and I swear they all have my metabolism. I can't stop eating and those donuts looked  _so_  good." She took another large bite before waving the half-eaten pastry in the air. "I'll buy him another box later. I just needed these right now."

"Well, you scared the poor guy to death so I'm gonna go give him the usual 'bunny hormones' excuse. You just sit there looking beautiful." Judy couldn't help herself and let out an 'aww' which made Nick clamp down hard to not laugh at the ridiculous amount of lemon meringue filling at the corner of her mouth. He stepped out of their office and headed for the receptionist desk, intent on explaining Judy's 'urges' to the dispatch officer.

Craning her head to look out towards the front desk area, Judy swiveled her ears trying to pick up parts of the conversation. Unfortunately to her great displeasure, Nick was leaning in very close to the cheetah keeping themselves overly quiet. Judy had a feeling by the excited nodding from Clawhauser that Nick was doing anything  _but_  talking about 'bunny hormones'. The sudden stiffening of the feline caught her interest as did the sudden high pitched but extremely short squeal from her spotted friend before he suddenly collapsed on the floor with Nick standing over him shaking his head.

* * *

"Balloons? Who's got the balloons?" The slightly panicked voice would have been a cause for amusement if it had not been all anyone had heard for the past hour. Instead, the collected group of mammals crowded inside the high end apartment simply rolled their eyes at the vulpine.

"Over here, Nick."

"Do we really need balloons? I mean it's just a baby shower."

"Her  _first_  baby shower, Whiskers. I'm going all out here. Ahh!" A sharp cry followed by an immediate thud had several mammals swarming to the center of the room where the once frazzled tod was now lying in a crumpled heap below the step ladder, a decorative banner fluttering to land neatly on top of his head. Sitting up and testing his limbs, he was thankful nothing seemed broken and with how smooth his breathing was, not counting the adrenaline spike, he knew his lung was still in good shape. Instead he let out a groan and clutched his head, a sudden throb starting where a large raised bump now sat.

"Told you not to go any higher," came a gruff and deep voice from somewhere in the large pile of paper craft ribbon. "Told you you were gonna fall and break your ass but noooo. Nick Wilde knows  _everything_."

"Oh shut up Finn. I didn't even break my ass. It was my head." To reiterate that fact, he quickly slapped an ice pack on it that Bonnie had gone to fetch from the fridge. "Thanks...mom." The beaming look coming from the bunny matron was enough to make Nick feel more comfortable using the word and he made a mental note to try and do it more often. While Stu was willing to call him 'son' he asked the tod not to call him 'dad', something Nick was all too happy to avoid doing as it made them both uncomfortable.

"Ass. Head. They're interchangeable when it comes to you, Wilde." There was a smattering of giggles heard throughout the room. He recognized Tammy and Lylah's but the and obviously the loud laughs were from Trisha and Sarah, but the last was one that he had only heard a few times and figured it must belong to Jessica, his mate's sister and Finnick's girlfriend.

"What time is Judy going to be home, dear?" Nick jumped on the new topic that he was sure Bonnie had started simply to get him out of trouble as the two of them had gone over the details a dozen times already.

"Fru has her out on a shopping trip that she has already texted and told me it became more of a spree to keep her occupied. The party begins at four so she should be getting home right after that so everyone is here to surprise her." Looking over at the clock, he saw it was already three thirty. "Okay everyone, we've got half an hour to get everything finished so let's  _hop_  to it." Groans came from both felines, all three bunnies and the small fennec inside the apartment. "What? I thought it was good."

"Tell you what, Nick. How about no more puns or we quit working." There were a couple of sounds of agreement at that though he knew it was an empty threat. Everyone wanted Judy to be surprised and have a fantastic shower. However, for the sake of cooperation, Nick promised he would hold off on the puns until after the party.

With the jokes on pause and the crew working together, the work went rather smoothly with no more injuries to add to the list. Streamers and banners crisscrossed from the ceiling while balloons hung from the fixtures and off the dining room chairs. The table had been turned into a gift hoard pile which was already overflowing and there were still more guests to arrive. Platters of crackers, cheese and turkey slices lay on the coffee table as well as several vegetable platters. There were also a few bowls of fried crickets, knowing that Nick, Finnick, and Judy would be chowing down on them quite often.

They had gotten just about everything prepared when there came a knock on the door. Checking the time and seeing it was a few minutes shy of four o'clock, Nick figured it couldn't be Judy. Halfway to the door he slapped his forehead at the realization that Judy wouldn't knock on her own door. Turning the handle and sweeping the door wide, a grin broke out on his face as he welcomed in the other interspecies couple in the ZPD. "Wolfeyer! Come on in."

"I don't know why you always insist on calling us that," grumbled Freddie, a playful growl starting in the back of his throat. He cut off suddenly as his mate, a strong and rather gorgeous tigress, cuffed him lightly on the shoulder.

"I think it's cute." She looked about while her mate rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. "Judy not here yet?" Nick shook his head before glancing at his watch.

"Not yet. Fru said they're a few minutes out so come in, place your sacrifice on the table, grab some turkey or crickets if you want. Don't eat the baby fox-"

"Fuck you, Wilde!"

"He'll give you indigestion," he said while winking at the pair. "Seriously though, come in, get some grub. I'm going to text Fru right now and see if they're here yet." Slipping his phone from his pocket, he started tapping away while the two large mammals crossed the threshold and began mingling with the guests.

While Wolford had met Judy's parents on one of their trips to the city, her sister Jessica and Nick's friend Finnick were rather unknown to the timber wolf, though he had heard quite a few stories. After introducing his mate to Bonnie and Stu and catching up on what had changed in their lives recently, the two of them moved over to meet the other bunny and fox couple present at the party.

Though Finnick was on the right side of the law, and had been for quite some time, the fact that he was surrounded by at least four officers, two of whom were detectives, and they were all much,  _much_  larger than him had the small fox on edge. Luckily when Wolford and Fangmeyer sidled up and introduced themselves, Finnick found it less concerning and much friendlier than he expected. It was easiest for him to talk to the wolf who was a lot like Nick just with far less snark. Having heard all the stories of their exploits from Nick, Freddie was quick to assure Finnick that none of them there would be doing any arrests. He even gifted the small mammal some knowledge to sooth his guarded nature about the fact that there were no warrants out for the fox at all. After that he became much more amicable though still kept his gruff exterior.

Fangmeyer meanwhile was discussing the latest fashions with Jessica who had designed many of the creations seen in the city. Liz admitted she had always wanted to model and Jessica spent some time convincing her to come down and try out a shoot. She couldn't guarantee a career of it, not that the tiger would leave the ZPD, but she would have a group of tasteful photos to show her mate and of course get to keep all the clothes she modeled. That last part had finally done it since Liz rarely ever had the spare cash to purchase some of the more expensive outfits.

The next couple was definitely a pair that both detectives had met but for very different circumstances. Trisha was a friend to just about every ZPD officer and a staple of the 10-7 first responders bar. Always there to cheer you up if you needed it or keep the party going if everyone was having a good time. Sarah on the other paw was a much more unsettling time during their first meeting. The duo had been investigating a series of deaths linked to narcotic overdoses and one of the patients ended up in Sarah's OR. Luckily that didn't dampen the festivities and they enjoyed a really nice conversation.

Nick had been nervously adjusting the snack table while the rest of the room moved along without him, moving the punch bowl a few centimeters here and there as he waited for the reply from Fru to reach him. The last one had said they were heading to the apartment but without any new updates he was flying blind. Luckily an answer to his prayers came from a most unlikely source.

A large thud on the door made everyone jump. It had sounded less like a knock and more someone suddenly collapsing against the wood. A second thud, this one slightly quieter as if running low on power, had Nick slowly approaching the door. "I do believe another guest has arrived, if my theory is correct." Grasping the door handle, he turned it while leaping to the side at the same time. It swung wide and very fast, barely missing the fox who had to duck underneath the knob as a very large and round mammal came tumbling into the apartment.

Wheezing heavily, the cheetah struggled to gain his footing, his arm waving out into the hallway wildly. "Judy...Fru...Fru...Com...ing..." Lylah and Tammy each grabbed an arm and lifted the cheetah to his feet, helping him over to one of the large mammal sized chairs.

Nick came over and stood in front of Clawhauser. Even with him sitting down Nick had to look up into his friend's face which appeared a little pale. "I take it you are saying Fru Fru and Judy are on their way up?" Ben could only nod, his breath still coming out in wheezes. "Ben, I hate to say this...again...but you really need to lose weight. I don't want to lose you as a friend, okay?" The big cat seemed to contemplate it seriously. Perhaps it was because he was there to celebrate new life coming to this world. Maybe it was because he was finding himself unable to breathe after running through the lobby. Or it could be something as simple as deciding Nick was right. Whatever it was, the cheetah nodded and made an 'X' over his heart before closing his eyes and resting his head back.

Nick clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a small smile before heading back to the center of the room. "Alright everyone. Judy is almost here, so let's get ready to surprise her. And remember, no actual shouting. Just...just say it or something. Maybe wave your paws."

A loud and deep chuckle rang out catching the red fox's attention. "Jeez. 'Dad' mode hit you early, huh Nick?" There were a few laughs at that though in good fun. Even Nick had to chuckle though his words had been quite serious. Stu sidled up to the vulpine and put his paw up on the fox's shoulder.

"Don't worry, son. It happens to all of us. I wasn't nearly ever this emotional before I became a dad and now...*sniff* now I cr-cry...oh god. My baby is having babies!" Pushing him slightly away to avoid getting soaked with tears and mucus, Nick looked around wildly for Bonnie who came over to deal with her overly emotional husband, patting his back and leading him to a chair. Sarah could only look on in slight amusement having been witness to her father's breakdowns far too often.

The click of the doorknob turning had everyone turning towards the door. At the first crack Fru Fru's animated voice came through very clearly talking a mile a minute. Focused on her friend and their conversation, Judy didn't even look up until they had crossed the threshold. A subdued 'Surprise,' came at her from all directions to Nick's approval. Judy clapped a paw to her mouth and stammered. "O-oh my! This is- wow! Oh you guys are so sweet." Nick, noticing her speech pattern, quickly narrowed his eyes, his lips forming a small scowl.

"How long?"

Judy raised her eyebrows, feigning ignorance. "How long what, sweetie?"

"Oh don't you 'sweetie' me. How long have you known about the shower?" Arching his own brow, Nick stared at her hard.

"A couple weeks," she muttered sheepishly, surrendering to his heated gaze.

"A couple of weeks..." She nodded, slightly proud of herself but also feeling his disappointment. She didn't know what to expect next. It certainly was not the crazy grin that threatened to break his muzzle. "Hey guys! We made it at least two weeks!" The room went up in a cheer of celebration.

"What the-..." Now the bunny was seriously confused. She couldn't tell if they were happy she knew or upset. What she  _did_ know is that she wanted some answers, a sign of which was her rapid foot tapping.

"Sorry honey." She felt her mom step up from the side and wrap her arms around her. Judy turned into the hug, nuzzling her mother affectionately. "We had a feeling you would find out so when we started planning last month we wanted to see how long we could keep it from you. We made it halfway so we think we did pretty good." Judy stared at her husband.

"Really, Nick? That's the best use of your time? Coming up with strategies for baby showers?" The tod wagged his digit in her direction, smirking all the while as if hiding a big secret which, her knowing her fox, he probably was. "What are you up to, Slick Nick?" Raising his paw to defend himself, he was saved by the now steadily breathing Clawhauser.

"Hey Nick. Is Ga-"

"AH! Ah ah! Ben...don't make me send you to the other room for the whole party. You'll miss the surprise." Eyes wide and fearful, Clawhauser immediately snapped his jaw shut and mimed locking it with a key. Of course Ben being Ben he then mimed locking it in a tiny box, throwing away the tiny box key then burying the box somewhere there was a waterfall and apparently flamingos.

A knock on the door interrupted what looked to be a rendition of Swan Lake by the large cheetah, and since they were completely stumped as to what he was trying to infer they all gratefully turned to face the entryway. Tammy, who was closest to the door, opened it partially before freezing solid. "Oh. My. God." Nick took that as a sign that their second to last guest had arrived. Stepping back, her jaw slack and in awe, Tammy watched as the tall and graceful mammal entered the apartment.

Bonnie's voice, hushed though it was, rang out in the apartment. "Is that..."

"No way. It can't be." Lylah had heard the stories of Nick being friends with her but had never really believed them. Until now.

"IT'S FREAKING GAZELLE!" Jessica's loud cry broke the spell everyone was under and there was a small rush towards the singer in excitement, though they didn't crowd her thankfully. Even Trisha who didn't really enjoy pop music was starstruck, her mouth opening and closing a few times wordlessly before Sarah reached over and snapped it shut.

"Stop gawking, you're gonna make me jealous." It was said in jest, a twinkle in the painted bunny's vibrant pink eye.

"Oh please? There's more than enough for us to share!" The two bunnies burst out laughing which only doubled when the famous singer gave them a wink to show she had heard their playful antics.

Amelia waved to everyone, a broad grin on her lips. These were some of the times she could just be a normal mammal and she treasured them greatly. She loved her fans but to be able to step away and just be with a few friends was as precious as gold to her. The mother-to-be stepped forward in the crowd and quickly wrapped her small arms around her. "Hello Amelia. I didn't know you were coming."

Amelia crouched down to properly hug her friend. "Oh I wouldn't miss this for the world, Judy. I'm so glad Nick was able to get a hold of me. Let me look at you." Pulling back a little, the star looked over the bunny, taking in the sizable bulge over her belly. "You are looking so healthy. Is everything progressing well?"

"Oh yes, everything is going wonderfully. Three little vixens and a buck," she stated proudly. She couldn't wait to shower her kits in love and affection. Another knocking, this time faint compared to before told Nick that their final guest had arrived. "Mrs. Rivers!" Judy dashed across the room and quickly embraced the elderly otter. "Oh it's so good of you to come. I thought you were going to be away this weekend."

"Oh no. My son decided to bring my grandchildren here instead. I'm not really supposed to travel much these days. But when Nicholas told me about the shower I knew I just had to stop by."

With the guests all assembled and the food dwindling down to where the center of the plates were now visible, Nick turned everyone's attention to the dining room. "We have quite a large selection of gifts here. Who wants to go first?" Trisha upward and literally sprang off Fangmeyer's shoulders in desperation to reach the table first.

"OURS! You have to open ours first!" Nick chuckled before grabbing the large box labeled from the two bunnies. Pulling it away, Trisha stopped him. "All of them." Raising a brow, the fox turned back to the table and saw three more identical boxes in a row. Figuring they were all the same, he shrugged before giving them over to Judy top open. The gray bunny ripped the wrapping paper off ever so viciously, revealing a most welcome sight.

"A convertible rear facing five point safety harness carseat." Sarah narrated all the pros while the two expectant parents opened the box to haul out the carseat. "It's the best available. I made sure to cover every need for both fox and bunny kits."

"And I had it specially painted!" Trisha exclaimed happily. Judy noticed the metallic blue covered in golden glitter sparkles as the seat made it's way out of the box. It seemed rather tame for Trisha which the bunny appreciated. However as it came out further she noticed the swirling spray paint tagging the carseat with 'Anarchy' symbols. She sent her friend a look and an exasperated sigh, almost as if to ask 'really?' Trisha beamed while Sarah slapped a paw to her face.

"What's this?" The three bunnies turned to look at Nick who was now holding an action figure of 'MammalZord', a large robot from an old children's tv show.

"That's mine!" Caught off guard by the high pitched shriek, Nick opened his paw and dropped the toy which was quickly snatched by the brown doe who quickly stuffed it down her shirt. Trisha noticed the stares and shrugged while covering her chest protectively. "What? It has a laser sword and karate chop action."

"Okaaay, moving on." From there the gifts were rather common and acceptable ones without the rather over the top flair from Trisha and Sarah. Jessica had given them cloth diapers she herself had designed and had put into production. Finnick got them some chewing toys for both foxes and rabbits. Lylah and Tammy bought a large play area kit that included door gates and outlet protectors. Wolford had specially ordered a canid den bed that would let the vixens curl up together along with a smaller area right next to where they would lay for the buck. Liz, ever the traditionalist, had gotten each kit several pairs of clothing with the assurance that if the kits were not the appropriate sizes then she would get them remade. Clawhauser had impressed everyone with a luxury four baby stroller that was even remote controlled, something they weren't all too sure they would ever use.

"No, that part is for me. For when you two want me to babysit." The smile on the cheetah's broad face could rival the cheshire cat from the old fables. "I'm gonna follow your advice, Nick. But...well...until I can manage to get that far this might help motivate me."

Judy, unsure of what he and her fox had spoken of, decided to bring up another thing they had been thinking of. "Speaking of, Ben. Nick and I," Judy turned to her mate getting a smile and a nod from him, "we'd love it if you would be their godfather." It was almost too much for the big cat. He tried to speak but was unable to form any words beyond a few strangled squeaks. Worried he might faint, Nick grabbed a small bag Amelia had brought with her.

"Spots, look!" He started unloading the bag onto his wide lap, the feline's eyes growing wider with each passing moment. "Signed Gazelle memorabilia! Remember? That she promised you the last time we were over at her house?" It almost appeared that Ben would come around, but unfortunately with the whites of his eyes showing, he slumped to the floor out cold.

Amelia couldn't help but try to suppress a giggle. She had grown rather fond of the cheetah during the visits they had over at her house and was quick to spoil him with any Gazelle stuff he wanted. She patted his unconscious cheek while turning over her gift, something she called a 'traveling crib'. It looked like a baby travel bag that opened up into both a changing table or a bassinet. Already Judy could envision buying three more for their trips to the park but she found she didn't need to as Amelia quickly pulled out three more identical gifts making the bunny swoon.

A soft thumping sound finally brought Judy's attention to the opposite side of the table where Trisha sat with a huffed expression. Concerned for her friend, she reached out across the table, though her short arms and rather rounded belly made that impossible. "What's wrong, Trish?"

"Well. You asked Benji to be the kits godfather, but what about the godmother? I haven't seen any mention of that coming my way. You know I'd be the best godmother ever."

"Well my friend Fru Fru is the kits godmother as I'm theirs, but don't worry. You get to be Aunt Trisha." She seemed to think that over for a moment, her digit tapping against her chin until a gleeful smile formed.

"Oh I am  _so_  gonna be the best aunt in history!" Trisha leaned over the table placing her head right near Judy's belly. "You hear that kits? This your Auntie Trisha. We're gonna drive your mom and dad NUTS!" The brown doe laughed maniacally while rubbing her paws together. Nick and Judy suddenly felt slightly unsure of telling Trisha they considered her to be their aunt but they hoped that  _maybe_  she'd calm down once the kits arrived, though they highly doubted it.

Unfortunately Fru had needed to head home after dropping off Judy but she did leave her gift. Fortunately for Judy she had an inkling as to what she may have brought and so had moved the gift to the bedroom rather than opening whatever it was Fru had picked up at 'Vixen's Secret'.

Then it came to her parents. The table was all but empty save for a simple envelope. "Is this from you?" she asked her father who quickly shook his head.

"No, that's not from us. That was there when we arrived. No, what we have is a bit bigger." Stu turned towards Bonnie who approached with a closed paw.

"This is from not just us, but from Gideon and Sharla and Gareth too. We all chipped in knowing that you might need something like this in the big city." With those words, her mother reached out and dropped a key into Judy's outstretched paw. Stu then handed over a small folder that Nick and Judy opened together. It took a few moments to register, but their shock at the small piece of paper on top was evident when their jaws dropped.

"You bought us an SUV?" It was said more in disbelief than anything else, as if it was something out of a dream rather than reality.

"With four kits Jude, it's the only way to get around this crazy city properly. Sure could take a bus or the subway, but that's not all that safe for babies. And taxis just won't work for obvious reasons. So we got this for you. It's all yours, you two. Although you have to get your own insurance. After the incident with the tractor last month," Stu shuddered. "Let's just say I'm not allowed to add anymore vehicles." Judy looked questioningly at her mother who simply closed her eye and shook her head, telling her daughter not to delve any deeper.

"So who is this from?" The last gift, a plain envelope, still lay on the table. There were no markings, no writings. Just a simple white envelope. Nick stood and walked over to the table, picking it up and holding it to his chest.

"This one is from me." Judy reached out to take it but he refused to let go. "Carrots. Judy." Black tipped ears suddenly sprang up as high as they could go, a tiny nose twitching excitedly. "In order for us to start this new chapter in our lives, we need to move onward from where we are. This place," his russet paw waved towards the whole of the apartment, "this place has been our home since we first became  _us._  It's somewhere I never imagined leaving for any reason. And when we thought we only had one child coming, that seemed like a perfect plan. But now, now we have more. Many more." Judy tried to keep her eyes dry, but the idea of leaving their home for somewhere new, where she didn't know the neighbors like she did there, or get to wake up to beautiful sunrises over the balcony, frightened and saddened her. But she knew she would follow her fox to wherever he felt they should go.

Wiping her eyes, she choked a bit as she teased. "Let me guess. You had another friend who could rent us a five bedroom luxury apartment?" Nick kneeled down next to his wife, bringing them eye to eye.

"Well I did see a friend. But not to rent anything." Sliding open the envelope, he first pulled out a piece of paper which she quickly unfolded. This time she couldn't hold back the choked sob and let the tears flow freely. In her paws sat a deed. A house, paid in full. Nick then slid a photograph into her paws. While she never had imagined her perfect dream home growing up or even as an adult, she knew that no place she could ever find would be more perfect than what she saw in front of her. A large traditional country home, covered in exterior brick lay stretched out before her eyes. What looked to be several acres of clean cut yard mixed in with beds of wildflowers was enough to make her swoon.

"It's large enough for all of us. Each of the kids get their own room. It even has a hot tub," he added quietly, waggling his brows. He grinned as she gave him a playful shove, still trying to clear up all the tears on her cheeks. "It's out in the Meadowlands. I thought after everything going on we wouldn't mind a bit of peace and quiet around the house since we'll have plenty of chaos at work. And there's a great school district." Grasping his neck, Judy hauled him in for a hard kiss, laughing while tears still tracked down her cheeks. "It's our home, Carrots."

"Our home," she whispered.


	41. Chapter 45 - Sweet Baby Carrots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Took longer than I thought to get this chapter done. Probably those damn video games. Stupid Oblivion and it's time loss powers.
> 
> Disclaimer: For any Disney executives, I am giving up on all of my current plans of trying to steal the rights to Zootopia. You win. They're all scrapped.  
> *Devises new heist plan with twelve fellow writers, 390 feet of rope, and a chihuahua.*

With the sun coming up over the horizon and shining it's rays directly through their window, Judy cracked open an eye and fixed the beam with an angry glare. Yanking the covers back up, Judy twisted them around her body forming a cocoon of warmth and cotton in defiance of the bright ball in the sky trying to blind her into submission. She was still so very tired from the day before, though that raised another question in her mind.  _How did I get in bed? Last thing I remember was me and Nick collapsing on the couch._ A familiar musky scent made her nose twitch, letting her know that her fox was in bed right beside her and judging by the hot, and slightly bad breath wafting over her face he was most likely laying there with his muzzle aimed directly at her.

Pulling the sheet over her head to escape the warm air being blown on her, she thought back to the night before, realizing that at some point Nick must have carried her from the couch to their bed. She certainly was grateful for that as it had been nearly impossible her to sleep anywhere except their bed and not wake up in pain somewhere on her body. The kits who had been growing within her were doing a number on her body. They still were growing at the rate of a normal bunny which was good otherwise she would be at considerable risk trying to carry around fox sized babies, however that did not mean they were all that easy to manage.

Feeling a rather strong urge to pee, unsurprising as she never woke up during the night for her customary several trips, Judy struggled in vain to get up from the bed. She was glad her fox was busy sleeping in otherwise she suspected he would be spending much of the morning teasing her for it. Rocking back and forth, she finally managed to roll to the side and get her paws underneath letting them lift her off the bed. Not for the first time did she look down at herself and whisper to the children. Sometimes it was nice and calm. Loving. Patient. Other times it was with intense frustration and a glare split between her mate and the parasites he put inside her. This morning it was just a simple plea for them to get off of her bladder, just until she made it to the bathroom. A plea that went mostly ignored forcing her to waddle quickly across the room to their new master bathroom.

The house Nick had found for them was perfect in her eyes. It had the right number of bedrooms for the kids to grow into, enough space that they could all comfortably live without crowding each other as time went on, even a basement that had been converted into a media room for them to all enjoy together. Judy could already imagine some late night romance movies spent with her fox by her side. The best part though was the master bathroom. Nearly as large as the bedroom back in the apartment, it housed a large glass shower that she could not wait to 'accidentally' catch her husband using. Nick had also apparently been expecting to use it for other activities since there were paw holds going up the wall, approximately the height where a certain bunny would be resting if lifted into the air.

What really thrilled her however was the tub. With the home originally being owned by wolves, most of the rooms and the shower allowed the smaller mammals a large amount of space. This also went for the jacuzzi tub. For the bunny, it was a miniature swimming pool. She was sorely tempted to sink into it and soak her sore muscles to her heart's content. Unfortunately she knew that would have to wait since they still had some unpacking to do.

Having finished relieving herself, Judy headed back into the bedroom, intent on dragging her sleeping fox downstairs with her to begin the day, however the sight of him curled around her pillow, tongue hanging out of his mouth while letting out a light snore gave her quite a giggle fit before escaping from the room. She decided she could let him have a bit more sleep. He would need it for the day ahead after the list she had made.

Going downstairs was easier said then done. She had reached the point where stairs were no longer viewable and she needed to gauge where she was by the slope of the handrail. Thankfully she was quick to adapt, something her time in the ZPD had drilled into her religiously. It had taken only a few moments to descend though it winded her slightly. She once again leaned down towards her belly and rubbed it gently. "Why do you have to be so big, you guys? I don't know how your grandmother did it but I'll never look down on families with so many kits again." Needing to take a break, Judy reached out and put a paw on a slightly unfamiliar, but wonderful chair.

Nick had purchased all new furniture for their home using the excuse that their old stuff would clash with the carpeting. Black micro-suede chairs built for much larger mammals sat on either side of a longer fox-sized couch, all of them sinkably plush and comfier than anything she had ever experienced before. In fact, Nick had purchased new everything when it came to their house, leaving everything else in the old apartment. The only thing the couple had brought with them was their bed. Judy figured it was because of their history with it which she found strangely romantic, but it turned out John forbid them to leave it. He had said something along the lines of 'never being fit for any mammal ever again'. It didn't really bother her though. The worn spot in the middle of their embraced forms was something she wanted to cherish.

Having gained some of her breath back, Judy moved from the living room into the kitchen, desperately needing her coffee fix. She had been informed by her doctor to limit her caffeine intake and practically scolded by her mother for even considering it. She just wasn't able to start her day without a large cup. She did limit herself to only the one and would consume water or juice for the rest of the day, but she missed her usual pick-me-up in the mid-afternoon.

Only having been in the new house for roughly a day, the couple had not been able to enjoy all of the housewarming gifts they had received during their party, one of which was a gift from the heavens. The coffee maker Sarah and Trisha had given them was high-end and most likely very expensive, but she couldn't bear to refuse it. Nick had been even less willing and had thanked them profusely, even picking up Sarah and giving her a little twirl making Judy start rumbling in her throat. He merely gave Trisha a sheepish grin after that which she had returned with a wink and a smile, however more than glad to receive a strong hug from Judy.

Keying up the complicated machine, Judy grabbed two cups from the dishwasher. They decided that being stuck in musty old boxes for moving, even in the brand new and clean SUV, was enough reason to give them a thorough wash. A heavy and rich aroma began escaping from the machine causing Judy to breathe in deep, the smell invigorating her nearly as much as the coffee would. After a couple minutes, and halfway through her cup, there was a loud thumping sound from upstairs causing her to smile.

The smell was strong enough that it had floated throughout the house, eventually reaching the upstairs bedroom and tickling the nostrils of the still sleeping fox. He remained asleep for merely a few seconds longer before his nose twitched rapidly and his eyes began to creep open. Letting out a loud yawn and stretching his limbs out, the vulpine scratched his chest, his claws raking across the fur before he reached out to the other side of the bed. Saddened to feel it empty, his slowly waking brain suddenly realized what the wonderful aroma that had woken him was and he leapt from the bed only to hit the floor, the bedsheet tangled around his legs.

Groaning from the impact of his torso hitting the floor, Nick hastily untangled himself before heading downstairs. Not caring to hide his heavy footfalls, the thumps on the stairs echoed slightly against the taller walls. One of the benefits of having purchased a home built for larger mammals was the bonus of getting much more space for the same cost. There were a few modifications Nick had needed to make which had cost him a small amount of his extra savings but it had thankfully been wrapped up in the loan giving him a good discount on his insurance. The cabinets and kitchen areas had need to be lowered so they could use them without needing a step stool constantly. Walking into the kitchen and seeing his mate working the coffee machine without height being a problem told him it was definitely worth it.

"Morning, Carrots," he said with a yawn, still feeling sluggish. He was mostly useless without his coffee first thing in the morning and he graciously accepted the offered mug Judy held out to him. Taking a few moments to savor the aroma, Nick tipped the cup against his lips and let the bitter and wonderful liquid slide down his throat. "Mmm, that's good. Remind me to thank Sundae again. This is going to be nearly worth having to get up a bit earlier for the commute."

"Well that's something I never thought I'd hear from you," Judy giggled. "It  _is_  good coffee, I will admit. Can't wait to have these... _things_  out of me so I can have more than a single cup," she muttered, giving the bulge an annoyed look. "I'm going to love them and hold them and give them everything they could ever want, but until they are born they are the enemy."

Nick couldn't help but chuckle, taking another drink of what was normally his customary breakfast. "So what's up for today? Bogo gave me the day off for the move so thankfully I don't have to take off in an hour."

"Oh good. I don't think I would be able to get around that well right now anyways. As for today, we were invited to a neighborhood get together. Kind of a pot luck out in the street. I promised to bring a carrot casserole."

Nick sighed. "Of course you did."

"And I told them you would bring that wonderful seafood newburg you made last weekend." Nick put his head in his paws and sighed once more.

"Of course you did. Well, guess I better shower if I'm going to head into town and get the stuff for that." The fox put his cup on the counter and turned to head back upstairs when he felt a small paw grasp his. Looking back towards his mate, he found himself beginning to feel very turned on by the seductive look in her eye.

" _We_  have to take a shower. I don't have time to wait on you all day." Nick could only raise his head to the heavens and thank whoever might be up there for making him with an attraction to bunnies in mind.

* * *

"Well, this is certainly interesting." While Judy might have normally seen Nick's words as sarcastic, today she knew he was being very sincere. For a mammal who had rarely been close to anyone and had spent quite a few years of his life homeless, the experience of a block party was intriguing. "So everyone gets together for...what? A big event?"

"Sometimes. Although most of the time it's too enjoy each others company and get to interact. Make friends, you know? We have these sometimes in Bunnyburrow, although not like this." Nick laughed loudly at that.

"Oh I think I can imagine. Here there's what...fifty? Sixty mammals? Out there it must number in the tens of thousands." Judy scowled at her husband though the truth of the matter was he wasn't wrong. Because of how many rabbits there were in Bunnyburrow, large get togethers like the one they were currently attending could not be spontaneous. It required weeks of preparation and weeks more to find a venue willing to accommodate such a large group.

"Oh be quiet you. C'mon, let's mingle with some of our new neighbors. See if we can't make a few friends." Rolling his eyes and looking a bit dubious, Nick nevertheless followed the optimistic bunny through the crowd. While a good amount of them were larger mammals, they were well used to smaller ones underfoot and the couple traveled effortlessly through without fear of being stepped on.

Spotting a group of other rabbits nearby, Judy headed over towards them, figuring like-species would be the easiest to begin with. As they got closer however, the warm smiles they were giving towards Judy began to fade and turn into looks of disgust when they directed their gaze to the fox she currently had by the paw. Nick's face turned to one of alarm. Not because of the glares he was receiving, but in knowing how Judy would handle the hate being sent towards her fox. Giving her a small tug, Nick got her attention before nodding his head towards some of the other groups, telling her wordlessly that they should move on. She did so but couldn't keep the grumbling and mutters about 'speciests' to herself.

Deciding to distract her with food, Nick led her towards the large tables set up in the street. Thankfully, with her overactive metabolism, the distraction was an instant success as the bunny started loading a plate with multiple vegetables and few fruit slices. With her mouth full, Nick started looking around at a few of the other mammals nearby, hoping to find one group that they could approach without worry of Judy losing her cool.

The first ones his eyes fell upon was a family of sheep. However there was no luck there, their eyes revealing more than a little fear while the ram placed himself between the fox and his family. Giving them a pitying look while trying to hide the disappointment he was feeling, Nick turned away only to find a male caracal had approached rather silently and now was a few feet from him. It took most of his self-control not to immediately drop back into a defensive stance, his police training begging to kick in.

"You're Nick Wilde, right? Officer Nick Wilde?" Cautious, Nick gave the feline a nod. The caracal's face broke out into a wide smile. "Oh wow. I can't believe one of the heroes of Zootopia is moving onto  _my_  street! Wow! It's so incredible!"

"Well thank you..." he trailed off, waiting to be able to greet the mammal properly.

"Oh sorry. Mike." He held out his paw, hoping to get a return from the vulpine. Nick didn't disappoint as his smaller russet paw landed in the big cat's.

"Nice to meet you, Mike. You know, I'm not the only one of the heroes on the street." Nick nodded towards his mate who had started on her second plate of food, oblivious to the goings on around her. Glancing behind him, the caracal's eyes went wide and he started trembling slightly.

"Oh. My. GOD! Judy Hopps is here too?!"

"Judy  _Wilde,_ " Nick corrected the mammal.

"Oh right. Sorry. I remembering hearing something about that a long time ago. Seemed to kind of disappear out of the news pretty quick." Neither was surprised however. TV news was constantly swapping out stories for the latest happenings in the city. Tabloids held onto more of the celebrity news for longer but thankfully for the Wildes a new rumor about Gazelle's secret romance with one of her tigers had wiped out their scrutiny. It was rather amusing to the couple who knew Gazelle was not involved with anyone at that time, though she had encountered a failed romance a few months later.

"I can't believe you two are living here. The heroes of Zootopia on our quaint little street." Their overly enthusiastic neighbor had been raising his voice with each sentence, though Nick had a feeling it was unintentional. Regardless it was starting to carry across the gathering, alerting many as to who their new neighbors actually were. Some of those who had been giving them confused and intrigued looks suddenly were giving them ones of admiration. The group of sheep suddenly were a little less wary though the father did not lighten his protective stance. The rabbits however refused to lessen their glares as did a few other couples who seemed to find the fox and bunny offensive. The caracal gave Nick one more hearty shake of his paw before moving on.

While Judy was off getting another plate of food, her third of the afternoon and most likely not her last, Nick was approached by a graceful deer. Her smile was not like some of the forced ones he had seen at the party, mostly from prey mammals. Instead it was open and inviting prompting him to respond with a genuine smile in return. "Well, we don't get a lot of new neighbors around here so I'd like to properly welcome you. I'm Miranda," the doe spoke softly with a hoof raised in greeting.

Nick did his best to stretch up and grasp it, politely shaking it long enough to accept the greeting but also short enough that if Judy had looked over she would not feel threatened. With the hormones growing stronger each day, her control was not always easy to manage. "Thank you, Miranda. I'm glad to see a few faces not quite so opposed to having a fox as a neighbor nor one with a bunny for a wife." Curious, he decided to delve a bit deeper into their conversation. "You said you don't get a lot of new neighbors. Why would that be?" The doe let out a trilling laugh.

"Ever the mind of an officer, yes? Don't worry, nothing mysterious or menacing in those words, I assure you. No, mammals just rarely ever leave due to how comfortable they feel living here. Do you see those two over there?" The tod followed her hoof until he saw a pair of elderly porcupines sitting on one of the swinging benches on a nearby porch. "That's the Hystrids. They were the first to have a home on this street. Back then it was nothing more than gravel and dirt. They had a large number of children, all obviously grown now. But they have been in that house for sixty-two years."

Now Nick was intrigued. Mammals so content they didn't want to ever leave their homes regardless of what life threw at them. "And our house? What made this family decide it was worth leaving?"

"Ah. Yes. Well the Hunters always were a bit of an odd couple, though their reasons for moving weren't all that surprising. Raymond Hunter, a lovely wolf, was getting up there in his age and his doctor recommended warmer climates but without too much humidity. Well obviously Sahara Square would be ideal but that ended up being too hot, so they settled for heading for the southern coast. 'A bit of sun and sand will do my old bones some good' he would say. Mrs. Hunter would obviously go wherever her husband went, but she really wanted the house to go to a younger couple about to start their own family." Glancing over at the rabbit still gathering a plate together, having a bit of trouble reaching the top of the table, she eyed the rather prominent bulge beneath her shirt. "Obviously you two fit the bill rather nicely. Although I will admit to being a bit shocked."

"And what pray tell seems so shocking? By your demeanor you don't seem to hold our marriage against us." Her eyes wide, the doe quickly shook her hooves side to side frantically.

"Of course not! No that's not it at all. Interspecies unions have never been something I've opposed or condemned. I'm in one myself." Craning her neck beyond the fox, she scanned the large gathering until her eyes settled on one mammal in particular. "There he is. Next to the grill. Oh that fool is getting another salmon." Nick turned to look behind him, noting that the only mammal near the grill currently being used by the moose was a large grizzly bear, all too eagerly taking a large bite out of a salmon burger.

"No I wasn't shocked by your relationship, especially predator and prey as you can see," she began once Nick had turned back to her. "No what was shocking was that your mate was pregnant. I...I don't want to seem out of line so please do not take any offense, but the child, or children I suppose, are they yours?" Nick raised a brow coldly causing the doe to start panicking. "I'm sorry. That came out so wrong. I mean it's just you two, right? No sperm bank or a...umm,  _stand-in_?"

"If you mean did we do the horizontal mumbo, have some afternoon delight, hide the banana in the fruit salad, do a little bedroom rodeo, rubbing the fun bits, shaking sheets, shagging, shafting, engage in a bit of snu-snu, and tie the knot? Yes. Yes we most certainly did. And yes those are my kits in that bunny's bun oven. Any reason in particular you felt the need to ask?" he questioned the doe, who's face was so red it could make a tomato look pale.

"I-I-...Oh my..." Fanning herself at the sudden invading imagery flashing through her mind, the doe took several deep breaths. Nick, who could smell the issue Miranda was having, waited patiently for her to calm down, though after their conversation was finished he pitied the grizzly who would find himself most likely dragged back to their house. After calming a bit, Miranda began to look a bit forlorn. "I only ask because, well, we've tried in the past but eventually our doctor told us predators and prey can't have children. Our genes are just too different. We've been looking into adoption but maybe, with you two having achieved it, there's still hope?"

Suddenly feeling like a heel for misinterpreting the doe's words, finding that she was looking for hope for her own situation and not attacking theirs, Nick tried his best to pacify the mammal. "We never knew we could have them either. Honestly we figured we couldn't. The doctor told us the odds were more than one in five hundred million. I honestly can't begin to even understand what that means in a context I can handle." He took her two hooves in his paws, letting his eyes meet hers. "I would keep looking into the adoption, though there is always hope, Miranda." Suddenly realizing how unguarded he was being made him nervous and he quickly dropped her hooves. "Like hope that your husband hasn't devoured all the fish burgers over there. Nice meeting you Miranda." The doe would have felt slighted at how the fox turned and headed off were it not for the fact she could see how uneasy he was. Instead, feeling a bit more positive, she went to find her husband and drag him off for their own bit of 'afternoon delight'.

* * *

During Nick's time spent with their new neighbors, Judy was off on a quest that was as familiar to her these days as her own mother. The search for food was a never-ending ordeal for the young bunny. She was only half joking whenever she told Nick his offspring was causing her to die of starvation. She really was famished at all times of the day. Her concerns were quickly explained by her mother when she brought them up during their weekly video chat as the matronly rabbit informed her that rabbits do get rather hungry during pregnancy due to their metabolism being 'out of whack', however Judy's was far stronger than any bunny they knew of. Bonnie surmised it probably had something to do with them being part fox.

Whatever the reason, Judy certainly knew that her odd cravings were definitely caused by the fox offspring in her belly. Wandering around the tables erected in the street and partially on a few yards, the doe grabbed a few selections for her to munch on, though as this was her third plate she decided to admit to herself that she would be devouring the food before ever reaching the end of the tables. Having spent the beginning of her time gorging on vegetables and various fruits, the other side of her desires were beginning to surface.

The first additions she made to her plate was a spoonful of beetle casserole brought over by an elderly badger couple. There were not many mammals nearby to see the rabbit scooping up the bug filled concoction but those who were recognized her as the ZPD officer who had recently moved in with her husband, the fox. Clearly under the assumption the mammal was getting a plate of food for her mate, several jaws dropped when Judy snagged a stray beetle and popped it into her mouth, chewing with gusto. Surely they were mistaken, they assumed. However when a handful of fried crickets joined the beetle within her stomach they were finding themselves dumbstruck.

After a few minutes the strange looks they were sending the bunny began to be noticed by others at the party. Soon enough half the neighborhood was watching the doe scurry, an impressive feat given how large she had become, from table to table, snatching up serving after serving of pred food. It wasn't until she had wrangled a salmon burger from the shocked moose at the grill that she began to see the stares coming her way.

Midway through her first bite, Judy stopped chewing and began meeting each mammal's gaze. "I'm sorry, do I have something on my face?" Quickly wiping her paw over her lips and cheek, she pulled her paw back to find it clear. Confused, she looked back up, unsure why she was being stared at.

"No dear." The doe she had seen Nick speaking to earlier had appeared near her, arm in arm with the grizzly that had been devouring the salmon faster than the cook could grill them. "We're just a little... _shocked_ to see a bunny eating predator food." Glancing at her paw, still closed over the partially eaten salmon burger as well as the crushed beetle shells on her plate, she realized what it must look like to the rest of the party goers.

"Oh. I suppose that would look strange, huh?" Giving the assembled guests a soft smile, she turned back to the deer who seemed to most understanding of the lot. "Because the kits are hybrids, I need to eat a lot of protein and I've got these cravings for bugs and fish. I know it seems disgusting, and to be honest if it wasn't for the babies I wouldn't be eating any of it. Well, maybe the fish. It's actually really good." This got a big grin from the grizzly who nudged his mate with a look of 'I told you so.'

"I see. Well, I suppose it makes sense," Miranda noted, giving the bunny a look that told her she was not bothered by the oddness. In fact most of the neighbors seemed perfectly at ease, now knowing why there was a carnivorous rabbit living among them.  _Nick really did well in picking out this neighborhood,_  she thought happily. There were a few who didn't try to hide their disgust and she recognized them as the ones who were upset about a fox moving in next door. She felt quite angry about that but decided to ignore them. If they had a problem with her fox it was their issue, not hers.

When Nick finally resurfaced to stand beside his mate, the looks of acceptance they were getting from the assembled group did much to make them feel welcome. "Not a bad first day here, huh Carrots?"

Looking up at her husband, the bunny gave him a loving smile. "Not bad at all, Slick. Not bad at all."

* * *

"Nick...Niiick..." Lost in the world of dreams, Nick could hear his name being called out, yet he could not find from where, or by who. A long hallway appeared before him and he quickly opened each door, growing more frantic with each empty room he found. "Niiiick..." The voice was not harsh. If anything it was calm and loving, though the name was stretched out farther with each time it was said.

The disembodied touch on his shoulder seemed to jostle his thoughts while the voice repeated itself. "Niiick...I need you to wake up." This time it seemed as if the voice was becoming slightly firmer. More clear. The touch became a light push, rocking his body back and forth. The dreamworld began to slip away from him, the waking world taking it's place and the rocking became a light shaking, something which had the vulpine opening his eyes and seeing the happy smile on his mate's face, though her eyes were a mix of joy and trepidation.

"Carrots? What time is it? What's going on?" By the darkness outside their window, Nick could tell it was still some point in the middle of the night. Having spent most of time as a nocturnal mammal he would wager it was about two o'clock.

"Two thirty,"  _Hah!_ "And my water just broke." His eyes still stuck together for the most part, his paw came up to wipe at them, intent on clearing his vision. Because of that intent, he had only been half listening when Judy had spoken to him.

"What was that?" This time it was a yawn that threatened to block out the words his wife was trying to convey to him, however she paused to let his mouth close.

"I'm in labor, Nick." Poking him in a futile attempt to wake him faster, Judy sighed knowing it would do no good. She would have to wait for the words to hit him. "We have to go to the hospital."

"Okay. Well hurry back." Pulling the covers back over his head, Nick nuzzled into his pillow. Judy began counting down.  _3...2...1..._  A russet head shot straight up, emerald eyes wide and panicked. "What?! Okay, okay. Don't panic."

"I'm not panicking, Nick."

"I meant me! Okay...bag. By the door. Clothes. Umm, today's should be clean enough." He bent over the side of the bed and grabbed the shirt and pants he had discarded. Judy rolled her eyes and headed out the door, having already dressed and ready to leave. She couldn't help but pity the fox who was still scurrying around the room trying to grab everything he could think of. "Chargers. Check. Phones. Got em. Wife. Wife?" Glancing around wildly, Nick didn't see Judy in the room. "Where is my wife?!"

* * *

To say the trip to the hospital was stressful would be an understatement. Nick, consumed with worry for his mate and their unborn kits, was of two minds while driving. There were times when he would become extremely cautious, often going ten miles under the speed limit when going through smaller neighborhoods, while he would drive like a mammal possessed when on the major roads, weaving in and out of traffic fearlessly.

"Why can't you drive like this when we're in the cruiser?" Judy scolded. Far too often she had been in the passenger seat and Nick would casually drive them around on patrol, even when a call came in. It usually led to him being stripped of the keys when they would stop for lunch.

"You're not having babies when we're in the cruiser," he shot back. His concern was touching to the rabbit but the dynamic shift between cautious and reckless was giving her a headache. Thankfully they arrived at the hospital a few minutes later. The trip was only twenty-five minutes from the Meadowlands to Savannah Central, but to both of them it felt like hours for very different reasons.

Driving up to the valet service, Nick scrambled from the SUV and grabbed Judy a wheelchair. When she opened the door and found the contraption waiting for her, she scowled and tried to walk around it but Nick wouldn't budge. "You know you aren't supposed to push it. Doctor's orders, remember?" Dismayed at knowing he was right, the doe sat down with a huff, taking the offered bag of her essentials and placing them in her lap.

"This is so humiliating." She was Judy Wilde. The first rabbit officer of the ZPD (and still the only one as well), able to to take down mammals dozens of times her size. Record holder of most of the ones even offered at the Academy. And here she sat in a wheelchair, being pushed around all because she was in labor. She remembered her mother giving birth to some of the litters and she didn't have to deal with any of this. Her last several litters she never even bothered going to the hospital. She wouldn't have been opposed to that herself if not for the fact that the kits were hybrids and needed special monitoring.

Navigating the halls like a pro, Nick wheeled them past the security checkpoint without pausing. The guards had started to rise when they didn't slow, however an officer of Precinct One was on duty as well and told them to sit back down, informing them of just who the two mammals were. It wasn't long before they had taken the elevator and emerged out unto the labor and delivery ward. Surprisingly it was rather quiet. Barely any sounds of newborns reached Judy's ears which was a blessing for the rabbit. Her delivery room was setup to be soundproof as most rabbit ones were but the trip to and from the nurse's station being silent was a godsend.

"Ah, Mrs. Wilde. A little early it looks like." Peering over the counter was a black mare with a kind face. "We weren't expecting you for at least another week."

"Yeah well, Carrots never has been the most patient of mammals, even by bunny standa-oof! Okay, got it. Mister Fox shuts up now." The name made Judy glance upwards to stare at her mate, getting a mischievous wink in return. She couldn't stop the slight grin coming across her lips at the idea of a fox with a pompadour standing nearby while she gave birth.

"Don' worry, Mr. Wilde," the nurse reassured him, having missed the hidden joke. "Bunnies are often fairly energetic even when in labor so we're well accustomed to handling...umm... _anxious_  patients." Having turned and started leading them to their room, the mammal missed the small scowl forming on Judy's lips. Her souring mood was not helped by the sight of an Okapi in nurses scrubs glaring at them, a look of disgust on his face. Judy, her ears snapping up to full attention, nearly lost her cool, ready to jump up from the chair and berate the mammal when a strong paw laid itself on her shoulder.

"Ignore them. Remember why we're here, Carrots. We're about to meet our kits. Don't let some  _bigoted_ ," he said the word loudly causing several nurses to glance around before finding the mammal in their midst guilty of said act, "ruin it for you, okay?"

Taking a deep breath, Judy let her ears fall down along her back. Nodding slowly, still focusing on calming herself, she reached up her own paw to his and squeezed it, reassuring her fox. Nuzzling it and taking in his scent, she began to relax. "Thanks, Slick."

As Judy settled into her room; Nick grew more anxious. He moved to the window in the room and began to stare out onto the city. He had conducted hours of research on bunny labors in the last few weeks but he had a feeling none of that would matter once the delivery began. It was almost a sure bet that he would be quite lost within the next twenty minutes.

"I'm Olivia and I will be your nurse today," said the mare as she proceeded to go over the usual routine for the labor and delivery staff. With the standard procedures out of the way, the nurse spent some time chatting with Judy about what the new additions to the Wilde family might look like, and how parenthood might change them forever. It was a common way to keep the mothers calm and in a happy state. This time however there was a rather large interest as the idea of a fox/bunny hybrid was unheard of.

Watching his bunny giggle at the jokes being made by the nurse also was having the benefit of relaxing Nick. Since the moment he had awoken he been in a constant state of worry. Seeing his mate safe and excited did much to reassure him that his fears, while normal, were mostly unfounded. Moving away from the window, he stepped up to the side of Judy's bed and took her paw. A soft smile passed between them letting the bunny see her fox was mostly back in control of himself. "Dumb fox," she whispered. "Feeling calmer are we?" A sheepish look let her know exactly how embarrassed he was at his behavior.

The kind mare asked Judy to shift onto her side, explaining it would help to pick up the heartbeats of their kits. Easily rolling over, Judy was surprised to find the position much more comfortable than her back which had not been the case the past few weeks.

The sensor had only been on her belly for a few seconds before the pulses came through the speaker. "Wow. Such strong heartbeats," Olivia said with some surprise. "Usually in a litter there is at least one who has a slight decrease in heart rate durning a contraction."

"AHHHH! This is what a contraction feels like?!" Nick shouted as Judy crushed every bone in his paw. Were she any stronger or his paw any smaller, Nick had a disturbing feeling that he would see his children born with a cast on. His mind waged a small war between self-preservation and being there for his wife.

"This is  _sooooooooooo_  UNCOMFORTABLE" screeched Judy. Finding her the most beautiful mammal in the world right then, Nick made a foolish decision to try and tell her right then rather than waiting for a time when she wasn't trying to push four kits out of her.

"Carrots, you are the most beautifu- OWWWWWWW RAAAABIIIT!" The bone crushing grip he thought had gone away suddenly came back with a vengeance. This time he didn't have a choice to pull back as his paw was now trapped in a vice grip of gray and white. It reached a point where his cries were no longer verbal since the pain was so great it left him unable to make a sound. Thankfully it did not last as long as the previous one though it was much stronger.

"Phew, I don't know if I can do that again", said Judy. Her muscles were beginning to ache and she worried it would only get worse with each contraction. The mare in the room let out a laugh that made the couple nervous.

"Oh Mrs. Wilde, I'm afraid you will be doing a lot of that today." It never ceased to amuse the nurse how most first time parents expected pregnancies to be like what they see on television. Either it's hot water in a tumble down shack or it's two minutes after they arrive at the hospital. Real pregnancies were a fairly long process although bunnies and small rodents were surprisingly quick.

"Great" Judy scoffed. "Exactly what I need." She scowled at the machine that registered her contractions and how strong they were. "I don't want to be confined to this bed anymore," the doe commanded. "Those beeps are going to drive me insane."

"Alright" the nurse said. "No reason you can't go for a walk. Although we will need to be with you and you can't leave this floor, just in case." Nick looked on as the nurse untagged his wife from the monitors. Fear overcame him as he was unable to stop his worrying thoughts.  _How will we know everyone is ok?_  Judy hopped off the bed as if it were a normal morning just getting ready to head into the ZPD. "There, thats better" She then began to strut the hallway in an almost galloping fashion. Her tail flicking its' way out of the gown in excitement. Then she stopped.

Gasping in fear, Nick ran to her side no longer watching her from behind. "Are you ok, Carrots? Carrots?" The bunny didn't responded. She just braced herself against the wall and swayed left to right, occasionally letting out a moan. Nick trembled slightly with each sound she made.

"Its another contraction, Mr. Wilde" said the nurse, seeking to reassure what she hoped would not become a second patient with the way he was getting worked up.

"This one is really close to the last one." The worried tone was one the mare had heard far too often from expectant fathers and she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Yes Mr. Wilde. Thats how this works," Olivia reassured him. It was easy for everything the fox had learned to slip from his mind. All of the classes suddenly were for naught and the research he had done was useless along with his rational thought.

"Oh. Right. Yes that's...that's right." he blushed hard, having to remind himself once more that the nurses there had spent years learning and training for everything that could come through those doors. He needed to rely on them, not let his imagination and worries take over.

Judy suddenly stood up, her voice tired but cheerful once more. "Ok, thats over." On and off for an hour these waves of horror filled Nick with fear as he watched the love of his life bounce around the hospital and then abruptly stop in silence; just sway left and right before crying out. Almost becoming routine. For a while he could almost count the steps between contractions and be nearly correct. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH" Judy went on for what seemed like an eternity. "Wow, that one was huge!" Judy said in surprise. "I-I think we should head back to the room," she stammered, slightly off balance because of how strong the contraction had been.

"I think you're right" agreed Olivia. The nurse had been close by but not so close as to interrupt the laboring mother. Her job at that point was to monitor, not to interfere with the natural process.

"How are you feeling, Carrots?" Nick gave his mate a soft smile, knowing by the increase that she must be getting close to the end. It was one of the few bits of info that managed to survive the mental implosion earlier.

"Im ok, Slick" she answered with a reassuring smile of her own. "I just...I want to...sit..." Just then she came to a dead stop. No swaying accompanied it this time and the only reaction they could get from her was a slight dilation in her pupils. Falling to all fours, Judy let out a roar that sounded as if it had come from a savage lioness, not a small rabbit.

By the look on the nurse's face, Nick could tell this was not a normal thing for a pregnant mammal to do and concluded it was her primal side pushing through. Her short stubby claws reached up and began digging into her gown, tearing it into strips of tattered cloth. In mere seconds the entire gown was in ruins, draped alongside her body. Breathing heavy, her gasps of air sounding more like huffs, Judy began digging those same claws into the hallway floor. Turning to the stunned mare, Nick reached out and out a paw on her shoulder. "I think you should get some other nurses over here."

Quickly gathering herself and sinking back into the familiar world of her training, their primary nurse shouted out for some sheets and bedding to be brought over immediately. "I think we won't be making it back to the bed, Mrs. Wilde." Surrounded in moments by a large amount of pillows and blankets, the nursing team quickly formed it into a nest-like form. Most mammals had moved on from requiring such things, however Judy's chart made a mention of being in more of a primal state in stressful situation, so they had devised a backup plan to make her more comfortable.

Becoming frightened by what he was witnessing, Nick's composure fled. "Breath, Carrots!" He cried out. A few more heart stopping roars, those of a predator, sprang from the rabbit before a visible tremor went through her. Her paws tightened on the sheet beneath her and a small grunting chant began before her orifice spread and a small form emerged and slid out onto the sheet. Judy, slowly coming out of her phase, leaned down and began licking her first child clean, It wasn't something normally done these days but it was done enough by traditionalists that no one was too shocked. Reddish fur began showing itself as well as a long furry tail. Their first vixen had just been delivered. Her ears were a bit long and shaped more lapin than vulpine and her muzzle was short. She was a perfect mix of both bunny and fox, though the long tail was definitely all fox, tipped with white.

"Nick." The words came out sluggishly, almost like someone waking from a dream. "Is-...is she alright?" Gazing down at the tiny child in her paws, Judy couldn't help but nuzzle her affectionately and mark her head.

"She's perfect, Judy. Absolutely beautiful." Nick reached out and picked her up, cradling her to his chest as he marked her as well with a careful nuzzle of his cheek.

"Amelia. Her name is Amelia Sarah Wilde." Nick couldn't help but grin knowing that the next time they met up with the singer that she would be beyond ecstatic, not to mention Judy's sister. Before anyone could congratulate the couple, Judy laid her head back down and growled. Keeping her head and not reverting back to a primal state, she pushed with as much pressure as she could until another child, a second vixen, appeared. This time she allowed the nurses to clean her while she caught her breath.

"Do we have a name for this little girl?" her nurse asked while cleaning off the tiny fox's head. Nearly identical to her sister, the only difference they could find was the black tip on her tail rather than white.

"Fru." It had taken a bit of convincing for Nick to go along with naming his child after the daughter of a mammal who once tried to kill him, but with her insistence and the fact that she had named her godmother to the children, he finally relented. "Fru Bonnie Wilde."

"Are any of our children going to be unique or are they all named after our friends?" Even with the important situation happening in front of him, Nick couldn't help but crack a joke. Luckily Judy smiled rather than lashing out.

"Not my fault all the names you came up with were borr-oh crap!" While beginning to grunt again, Judy heard the nurse turn to the others nearby.

"Can someone call down to the doctor and let them know Judy Wilde is delivering  _very_  quickly?" Fear arose in the new parents, not understanding why all the sudden the doctor would be called in. "Im just calling the doctor for back up, dear. The kits are coming rather fast. You're doing an amazing job." Olivia said to the sweaty new mom.

Gripping the sheets to brace herself Judy pushed out a smaller form than the last two. Seeing the more rounded form and short, puffy tail, Judy cradled her son to her chest. "Nick, its our little boy."

"He's-he's not moving," whimpered Nick. Judy pulled the child from her chest to see a still and quiet baby in her paws.

"Come on little one." The mare had leaned in, pressing her hoof against the small chest, checking for any blockage. The collective nurses all held their breath, worried about the baby. The doctor stepped from the elevator and moved only around the corner to see the new parents, new kits and terrified nurse all gathered on the floor. It was only a few seconds since she had arrived but the jaguar quickly worked out why they were so concerned.

"Oh, I see a sly fellow," Dr. Pawson said of their newest addition. "Rub his back and hold him to your chest Judy, give him time to adjust to his new world." Desperate to try anything but especially willing to trust in her doctor, Judy brought him to her chest once more.

It could have been a lifetime or a few seconds, but the little one let out a small squeak that felt like a clash of thunder to the parents stricken with fear. Sighs of relief and giggles of bliss could be heard traveling the length of the hall. Holding one of the vixens, Nick could only reach out to stroke the baby bunny's head, but his paw no longer trembled as it did before as it stroked the gray fur. While the ears were still long, they were shaped more pointed like fox ears. His muzzle was also longer, much like his sisters. "Benjamin," his mate stated, her voice warbling a little but quickly clearing. "Benjamin Piberius Wilde."

"Oh no! We are  _not_  naming him 'Piberius.' I dealt with that enough as a kit. I don't need you yelling out his full name and I freak like I did when I was in trouble with my parents." Judy did nothing more than wave her paw dismissively.

"Already decided. Besides you'll know when you're the one in trouble cause I call out your full name too." He really had no argument against that logic so he accepted it, though he grumbled heavily.

With a shudder moving through her body, Judy let out a harsh growl causing the nearby nurses to move the newborns to have them cleaned properly while the mother birthed the fourth and final child. Dr. Pawson looked at her rear, checking for any signs of tearing and was pleased to see everything was intact.

"Alright Judy. One more big push and we should be all done. Are you ready?" A small grunt while sending a sharp glare towards the doctor told the jaguar she was indeed ready to finish but also that she was quite perturbed which was a fairly common sight on that floor. "Okay. Clamp down and push her out." A large grunt came from the rabbit but it appeared to not be enough. "Looks like this one will be the hardest. Biggest normally comes last and I guess that's how it is with you. Alright. Another big push down."

Clamping down, Judy strained hard until it seemed as if she would tear in half, but with a sudden freedom from the pressure and a small gasp from her fox told her it was over. Exhausted and with barely enough energy to slowly fall down rather than collapse, Judy turned to see her fourth kit. It was another vixen and one that was slightly shocking. "A silver fox."

"It certainly is. You must carry a dormant gene, Mr. Wilde." Both females turned to him but all he could was shrug. He never had siblings and both his parents were red foxes without any melanistic traits.

She certainly was beautiful though. All black fur with only the very tip of her tail and paws being white, she was a stark contrast to her father and sisters coloring. What was surprising though was that her tail and muzzle were exactly like a fox but her ears were an identical match for her mother's, minus the color. Rather than a mix like their other three, their last child looked more like a genetic puzzle but it was very endearing.

"Trish." Nick let out an internal groan. He knew there was no way he would be talking her out of naming the vixen after her best friend. He could only dread what would happen when she found out about the naming. "Trish Marian Wilde." Nick turned in shock to meet his bunny's violet eyes already facing him.

"M-Marian?" It took everything Nick had to not start openly bawling though several tears tracked down his cheeks.

"I thought it would be a good way to honor your mother. She gave you to me, so in a way I'm giving her to you."

Helping her to stand, Olivia instructed Nick to follow them to her room while other nurses followed behind, the babies in hooves and paws. Dr. Pawson followed behind, monitoring the children closely on the walk. Once they got to the room, Judy found herself so exhausted she wasn't able to climb up onto the bed. Not even the step stool nearby was enough to get her there. Instead her doctor came up alongside her and effortlessly lifted the bunny onto the bed.

Immediately she crawled for her pillow. She was torn, desperate to sleep yet wanting to be with her children. Knowing how badly the doe was warring within herself, Dr. Pawson instructed for the kits to be laid in Judy's arms for a few minutes before sleep would overtake her. Accepting them one by one, nestling them into the covers spread out over her lap, Judy couldn't help but coo. It was soon joined by a purr as Nick climbed up onto the bed and snuggled next to his mate, holding out the last child and letting the four nestle together.

"You did it, Carrots." Nick's voice was soft and soothing, helping to lull his bunny to sleep. "A miracle has been accomplished." Judy's eyes began to close, sleep beginning to overtake her. "Now all we have left to do is survive your mother when she realizes we didn't call her." Sleep was suddenly the furthest thing from the bunny's mind as her eyes snapped open.

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: I had a wonderful co-author with me for this chapter. My wife, who has gone through four childbirths of her own, helped me with the last half, lending her and mine personal experiences to this thrilling chapter.


	42. Chapter 46 - Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here it is. The very last chapter of 'A Bunny CAN Go Savage.' Please, read through to the very end. Thank you.

_30 years later..._

With ears splayed out behind her and tracks of tears down her cheeks, Judy could not bring herself to look away from the bed to her right. Her husband, her mate, her  _fox_...was gone. She wished she could say it was a surprise, but the reality was that it had been expected for quite some time. Though he had been getting up there in age, Nick had still been in peak physical health. Decades of police work had kept him trim and the workout regimen Judy had more or less forced upon him had greatly helped the tod to remain healthy. Unfortunately that had all changed two months prior.

Having developed a strong cough and a bit of difficulty breathing, he had taken several days to rest and get better knowing that, with foxes compromised immune systems, a mild cold could quickly become something worse. That something worse had developed almost overnight as the cough became harsher, the shallow breaths rattling with fluid building up in his lungs. A trip to the hospital, hoping to be mistaken and sent home with a script for cold medicine, their world had come crashing down when Sarah had come back with a grim face, delivering the news that Nick had pneumonia.

The news had been a blow to both of them. Only exceeded by cancer, pneumonia was the second biggest killer of foxes. Their immune system simply was not strong enough to fight off the disease, and the later it was caught the less likely that treatment would be able to help. For foxes reaching an older age, it usually was even more difficult to halt it's progression. Sarah had all but delivered a death sentence to her brother-in-law and the anguish she felt would keep her up for weeks.

Judy didn't fare any better. She had retained her composure through the rest of the appointment and even on the drive home. The minute they had crossed the threshold was when her walls fell, breaking down into an uncontrollable sob and sinking to her knees. Always the one to comfort his mate, Nick had picked her up and cradled her to his chest before carrying her upstairs and laying them both down, the bunny keeping her place on top of her fox. Nick had joked later that the amount of bunny tears soaking his shirt meant it would never be dry again.

The memory of the smirk that had come across his face, one she had grown to love so long ago, brought a soft smile to her own lips. She had known the news had bothered him greatly. It had been many, many years since he had been able to fool her. The twitch of his ears and the way his tail drooped just enough to betray his outward appearance gave him away. Yet he had out up a brave face every day since, unwilling to cause her anymore anguish than what she had already been going through. It had lasted until yesterday when he finally had drifted into a sleep he never woke up from. Her only comfort besides knowing that he was no longer in pain was that he had been able to have all of their children gathered around him to say goodbye. Their children who were now gathered around her.

"Mom?" Judy gave a small start at the sound, turning away from the form of her husband to view the paw suddenly gripping hers. White fur that gave way to black traveling up a long arm. She had always been amazed at how much like her father Trish looked. Her paws were even the same shape though much smaller. The only real difference that was noticeable were the long bunny ears that showed that the vixen was also hers.

"I'm okay, honey." Looking past her concerned face she gazed at her other children. Amelia and Fru, nearly identical save for the coloring of their paws and tips of their tails, were trying to be strong but couldn't help but let loose a few tears. Amelia had one paw in her sister's and another on the shoulder of a small kit with her tail wrapped around the tiny mammal. "Oh, Amelia. You brought Toby? Come here, sweetie." Amelia prodded her son who quickly ran and leapt up onto the bed, throwing himself into his grandmother's arms. "How are you my sweet little boy?"

"I'm doing good. I got all A's on my report card. Well one B. It was in gym."  _So like your grandfather_ , she thought amusingly. She tweaked the boy's nose before nuzzling him affectionately. "Hey! Grandma! Get off!" His protests turned into squeals of laughter when her paws found his belly, tickling him mercilessly. "Ahh! Hehehe! No no no! Ha ha! I'll behave!" Stopping to let the tiny kit catch his breath, Judy looked closely at her grandson. Roughly the size Judy was now, he was much like her mother, a shorter snout and slightly longer ears though his coloring was more like his father's, an arctic fox who worked in the accounts department at the ZPD. They had met during one of Amelia's lunches with her parents before they had retired a couple years later. She had been only twenty then, Judy remembered, her eyes misting over.

"Hey kiddo. I want you to do me a favor, okay?" The little boy nodded, listening intently as she used her 'super secret' voice she did whenever the two of them were about to do something fun that they weren't supposed to. Capturing his attention, Judy reached out with her paw and took a dollar from her purse nearby. "I want you to take that dollar from your pocket and go with your mom to buy the biggest cookie you can find in the cafeteria."

"But...I don't have a dollar in my pocket." Toby was many things, and not paying attention was one his mother told him often, but he never misplaced or forgot where his money was. His grandfather had taught him that when he was even smaller.

Judy adopted a look of surprise, her digit tapping against her chin. "Are you sure? Huh. My mistake. I thought I had used my special bunny magic to send it to you but maybe I missed. Your Auntie Trish may have gotten it by mistake." The boy looked at his aunt accusingly while she opened her eyes wide and made an effort to be extra dramatic as she patted her pockets. "Well, check yours Toby. Maybe I got it right after all."

Dubiously he patted his shirt pocket but finding nothing there he moved to his shorts. Suddenly his eyes lit up bright and he whipped out a slightly crumpled bill. "Wow! Can you teach me bunny magic, grandma?"

"I think your mom can when you're a bit older. Now, take your mother and run off to the cafeteria and you get the biggest one you can find." His smile reaching farther than she thought possible, he leapt from the bed and headed towards the door before stopping and looking back at his grandfather who still lay in his bed, his smile faltering a bit. Judy followed his gaze and then met his eyes with her own. "Oh don't you worry about your grandfather. You know he always likes to sleep in, the lazy old tod." Looking a bit happier, he grabbed the door handle and stepped out into the hall.

"Wait for me, Toby!" Slowly approaching the bed, Amelia leaned over to wrap her graceful arms around her mother. "I love you, mom."

"And I love you, sweetheart. Never forget that." Planting a kiss on her daughter's cheek, Judy pulled back to see eyes just like hers shining back. "Amy? Do me a favor, hon? Take him over to see your Auntie Amelia. She's been feeling a bit worse for the wear lately. Seeing Toby and yourself might do her some good."

"Of course I will, mom. Maybe Toby and her can do some karaoke. He found my old CD collection and has been singing her old songs non-stop." Smiling but with tears in her eyes, Amelia bent down and kissed her mother's cheek. "Goodbye...mom." Trying to stifle her tears, Amelia left the room to catch up to her son already halfway down the hall.

There was a choked sob coming from the end of the bed and Judy quickly gestured to her second child. Fru had always been the most emotional of their family, even more so than Judy herself. As the vixen clambered onto the bed, Judy wrapped her arms around her and held her tight. "There there, my little girl. I've got ya."

"Y-yeah. But for how long? I'm going to lose both of you. What am I going to do without you? No Sunday dinners before work the next day. No one to spend hours talking about books. No late night B-horror movie marathons." Judy reached up and smoothed the ruffled fur along Fru's muzzle.

"Oh darling. You don't need us to do all that. We shared that with you so you could share that with others. Your siblings, your friends...that nice wolf next door? Oh yes, we noticed," Judy giggled as Fru's head popped up. "I'm pretty sure all of us have noticed the way you look at him when we stop by and see the two of you talking. Your father..." Judy stopped to glance over at her fox who still looked as peaceful as he always did. Were it not for the fact he wasn't cuddling a pillow he really could be asleep. "Your father mentioned he got a smell from the last time we came over. Why not take a chance?"

"But mom. He's a wolf." Judy had to fight not to scoff, though that did not stop her son Benjamin from rolling his eyes or Trish snorting behind a paw.

"Fru. You are a hybrid between a fox and a bunny. Do you think we care that he's a wolf? In my eyes the world could do with more love that didn't care about species. Your brother is dating a lovely lady skunk." Benjamin, who had been silent most of the time, decided to speak up.

"Engaged actually." This time Judy's look of surprise was genuine as she turned towards the buck. "Yeah. After dad...yesterday? Umm...I realized things could change very quickly. So I took Christine to the park and proposed on the bridge over the pond. And, well, she said yes." Overjoyed to hear that her little boy was getting married, Judy stood from the bed and rushed to her son so she could hug him tight.

Though desperate to hug her brother herself, Fru quickly became concerned with her mother. "Mom, do you really think you should be hopping around like that? I mean don't they want you in the bed for a reason?"

Judy couldn't help but shake her head as she let go of Benjamin while Trish came in to hug her brother next. "Fru honey, I'm not infirm. I'm not sick or injured. I can move, I can hop, I could even do my old hop dance I used to do at Gazelle concerts. I just..." She turned to look at where her fox lay on the bed. "I just can't leave him. He's been too weak the last month to be able to mark me so I've needed to stay by his side. Now that he's...I umm...I have to stay close to be near his scent." It was hard for Judy to speak as new tears formed.

"Come here you two." Reaching out her arms to encircle both of her children, Fru bending down so she could return the hug, Judy held them tight. "Ben, I want you treat that girl right, you hear me?" Ben nodded, his own voice getting choked up. "And Fru, don't be afraid to take some chances. I know more than ever what can happen when you do, and you two are proof of the wonders a chance can become. I love you both so much."

"I love you too, mom."

"I love you. We all do."

Straightening up, she wiped a few more tears from her eyes. "Can you go find your Aunt Sarah and Auntie Trisha? I want to speak with them for a few minutes. And you can tell Lylah and Tammy they can come up now." Fru, unable to speak, simply nodded before stepping out. Ben was able to give her a small smile before he too left, the door shutting with a quiet click.

Turning to her last remaining child, Judy took in the black fur of her youngest yet largest offspring. "Trish. My little silver fox." Reaching out both paws, she took her daughter's in her own. "You're so much like your father. You have his spirit. His cocky smile. You even have his eyes." It was hard for her to look at them even. The emerald shade was an exact match for her mate's and it made it all the more difficult to say goodbye to another pair like those.

"I've got quite a bit of you in me too, mom." Bending down, Trish let her long rabbit ears flop over her face to bop her mother on the nose. It never ceased to amaze Judy that she had somehow inherited her father's form yet her ears rather than being like her brother and sisters.

Reaching up, she patted the badge hanging around her daughter's neck. "Yes, I can see that.  _Detective_  Wilde. I'm so proud of you. Both me and your father. So proud."

Though it seemed insensitive in the current mood, the silver fox couldn't help but chuckle and roll her eyes. "I know mom. You guys threw me a giant 'surprise' party last year."

"Yeah. Such a fun day that was. Although we never should have told your godfather. Benji never could keep a secret." Though retired for many years and rarely ever seen in the building, Clawhauser was still the eyes and ears of the main gossip around the ZPD somehow. Having him help with the part was a no-brainer and unfortunately 'no-brainer' is why they forgot he would spill the beans the moment he could. The two girls shared a giggle at the mention of the cheetah. All too soon though the mood shifted back to the grayness of reality.

"Mom. What's going to happen? I mean we know about the Bond. We've all known all our lives. But now that da-..." Words failed the fox for a moment before she swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. "With dad g-gone, what's going to happen with you? I don't want you to be going through so much pain."

Trying to fight back her own tears, Judy grasped her daughter's paw tightly. "It's okay, sweetie. Your father's scent is strong enough to let me say goodbye and then I'll be joining him. Your Aunt Sarah has come up with something that will put me into a deep sleep so I won't experience anything. I can just fade away quietly." The reality of her statement hit her just as hard as it had so many years ago when she first learned of the Bond and what would happen should she ever be separated from the mammal that become her friend, her partner, and her mate.

Her silent musings lasted only a moment before the crying face of her daughter brought her back. "I-I don't want to lose you, mom. Both you and d-dad? So soon? I just...I don't know what to do." The canine let her head drop while her ears fell down along her back. Tears that had trailed down her cheeks continued until they dripped silently onto the bedsheet.

Stretching out her paw, Judy lifted Trish's head until their eyes met.  _Her father's eyes._  "Sweetie, you are an incredibly strong mammal. I have no doubt that you will take all of this and turn it into something that makes you even stronger." Judy leaned forward and pressed her head to her daughter's. "You are a true miracle baby. Don't let anyone tell you different or stop you from achieving whatever you want or do whatever you need to do."

Trish nodded emphatically, her tears not gone but slowing down enough that she didn't soak her mother's head when she nuzzled the gray bunny. So wrapped up in their emotional upheave neither even so much as flinched when a sudden knock came on the door. Instead, Trish pulled back to softly smile at her mother. "I'll let them have some time with you too. I love you mom."

"I love you too, sweetie." Bringing the silver fox's muzzle down, Judy rubbed her chin along the top, marking her for the last time.

"Mom!" Swiping her paw over her nuzzle, Trish tried to rub off the mark but to no avail. "I'm not a kit anymore," she whined. Succeeding in only making it worse by spreading the scent over her nose, she suddenly sneezed as the scent of her mother was absorbed. Judy couldn't help but giggle.

"You may not be nine anymore, but you're still  _my_  kit." They nuzzled against each other once more before Trish stood and wiped her tears clear as much as she could before another group began.

"Goodbye mom."

"Good bye sweetie." Letting go of her white furred paw, Judy watched with sadness concealed behind a soft smile as her last child left. It took everything she had to not break down into tears, wanting to be strong for her family. The last sight of the long fluffy tail slipping out the door didn't give her much chance to break down before her next group of visitors stepped through. A brown bunny with bright blue eyes and a bouncing step peaked her head around the corner.

"Hey cutie. Mind if we come in?" No matter how she was feeling, Trisha never failed to cheer her up just with her presence. They had been best friends for more than thirty years but the nickname 'cutie' still could bring a blush to her gray cheeks.

"Trisha, I'm fifty-five years old. I think I'm as far from 'cute' as possible, but yes. You guys can come in." Stepping through the door, the brown doe was soon followed by her sister Sarah, still in her lab coat as she had been on duty that day. However tenure was a wonderful thing as it let her assign her med students to someone else for the day. Behind her came two of her ZPD colleagues that had been been close friends with both Nick and herself. Lylah stepped in first, the tigress looking a little worse for the wear with a cast covering her whole arm. Her wife Tammy came in a few moments later, berating the striped feline for not keeping her arm steady.

"I don't have to stand there like a statue, Flower. Alright? The doctor said I could move my arm if I needed to." Tammy glared at the tigress with such ferocity Judy was surprised her old friend didn't ignite such as the old poem.

"As you  _need_  to. Joining in the physicians ping pong tournament downstairs isn't a  _need_  you-...you... _dummy kitty!_ " Now chuckling in spite of the venom in her wife's words, Lylah leaned over and kissed the cheetah's cheek.

"I won, didn't I?" She laughed again as the spotted cat simply rolled her eyes before they both turned to see Judy looking at them both in amusement. "Hey Flopsy. How are you-" It was at that moment that it hit the three mammals that beside the gray bunny lay their friend. Unmoving yet so peaceful they all expected him to sit up and yell 'surprise' and that it was all a prank. But deep down they knew that they would never see that smug smirk on the vulpine's face again.

"Wow," was all Tammy could mutter. It was the only word any of them could. "So, it's really happening today then?"

'Yeah. Today is it. For both of us." While her words made both felines become a bit misty eyed, Trisha started bawling. "Hey, hey now. None of that." Spreading her arms wide she motioned for the brown bunny to climb up next to her. Though she stumbled for a moment, Trisha scrambled up onto the bed and fell into her friend's waiting arms.

"I-I don't want you to go. It's too soon. You weren't supposed to be gone yet!" There were murmurings of agreement from the other three mammals. None of them had imagined losing their friend so soon even though the threat of such a possibility had hung over their heads for decades.

"Oh honey, it's not so bad." Brushing the does ears that seemed to be permanently glued along her back, Judy planted a light kiss on her forehead. "I got to have thirty wonderful years with my fox. With great friends and family. Got to watch my kits grow up. I have no regrets, Trisha."

Even with the words spoken, Trisha still embraced her closest friend and wept openly. Sarah, unable to keep herself composed either, clambered up next to the two of them and hugged them both. Overcome with the emotion surrounding her and seeing the tears wept  _for_  her, Judy let her own fall freely. Tammy couldn't control herself either and swept up the three small bunnies into her arms and nuzzled them all. Lylah rolled her eyes at the show of emotion but quickly let out a squeak when her wife grabbed her paw and yanked her into the fold.

It wasn't long before the tears had run dry and the five fell apart. "I'm sorry Judy." The gray doe turned towards the old cheetah. "I really wish this hadn't happened. To either of you." She couldn't help but glance towards the bed where the fox lay. Neither of them deserved to leave so soon.

"It's okay, Tammy. I wouldn't trade my life for even thirty years more. It was wonderful and you all made it that way." She gave Tammy a smile which she returned, though a bit sadly. Together, the tigress and cheetah leaned in and hugged the bunny tight before standing straight and tall.

Putting a paw to their heads, they each saluted. "Ma'am."

Judy couldn't help but laugh. "Oh c'mon guys. I haven't been the Chief for nearly ten years." When they still didn't drop their arms, Judy sighed and stood herself, saluting the felines in return. "Officers." Turning smartly with the air of professionalism neither had exhibited in nearly a decade, both mammals left the room, though not without a glance back at their friend, a sense of sadness in their eyes.

Soon it was only her sister and her mate that remained. The two closest bunnies Judy had ever had in her life. The two she wanted by her side until the end. But they couldn't be there until the end. She needed to do that on her own. She had only these few moments left and the three soon cuddled up with each other. Words weren't needed, just the closeness of each other. It was the one thing Judy could never get enough of now that her children were grown.

They remained there until Sarah reluctantly pulled away. "It's time, sis." Trisha couldn't help but break down once more, burying her face into Judy's shoulder. Both Sarah and her soothed the brown doe until she was able to bring herself to crawl off the bed and stand beside her doe. Sarah reached over and placed a small pink pill into Judy's paw. "Here. This will make you sleep. No dreams. Just a quiet rest."

"Thank you, Sarah." Placing the pill in her mouth and taking the glass of water handed to her, Judy quickly swallowed, shuddering at the slightly chalky taste. "Couldn't you have made it taste better?"

"Beggars can't be choosy, Jude." Even at the very end the two couldn't help but tease each other. "It will take effect very shortly. We'll leave you to your sleep." Leaning in, she kissed her sister's cheek. "I love you, sis."

Trisha followed suit right after. "We both love you, cutie." With a soft kiss to the doe's forehead, she leaned back, tears glistening and falling freely. "Say hi to Nick for us." Judy gave them both a smile. Soft but very sincere. Grasping their paws, she stroked both of them.

"I love you both so much. Please, take care of each other." Letting them go and watching as they slowly left, Judy lay her head back onto the pillow just as the door snapped shut. Reaching out, she grasped the rail of the other bed and drew them together. Now she was within reach of her husband and her paw immediately intertwined with his. The contrast of russet and black, streaked with large amounts of silvery white streaks against her gray fur was a sight she had always loved seeing. Reaching up, she stroked his cheek, wanting to feel the coarseness that belied the overly soft fur beneath.

"I'll be with you soon my love." Her strength began to fade as her vision began to cloud. Eyelids became heavy and slid shut while her breathing slowed. As she drifted off to sleep, one thought flitted through her mind. One that brought one last smile to her lips.

_And to think, none of this would ever have happened if a bunny couldn't go savage._

_ **Fin** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: It has been one amazing journey. The amount of people reading my work has been astounding and the feedback has been incredible. I am shocked by how loved this story was and I hate that it needed to end. But every story eventually does, otherwise there's nowhere to put the back cover. And it is time for this story to be given one.
> 
> I hope the ending did not cause you too much suffering or heartbreak as it did for me to write it. One thing that I have kept to myself is that this ending was written long before the first word of the first chapter had been even a thought. It was always how it was meant to be.
> 
> Though I close the chapter on this story, I am not done writing. Not even close. I still have my current three stories 'Sweet Treatment', 'Fighting True Savagery', and the increasingly popular 'A Ghostly Love.' I will also be starting a sequel to my very first story 'Never Argue with a Bunny.' Look for it coming soon.
> 
> Thank you all for making this one hell of a ride and I love you for it.
> 
> -Fox


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